November 2, Day of the Dead, was not only a day of tradition in Mexico, but also the date on which the JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach & Spa dressed up to celebrate Culinary Awards 2024, the annual event that recognizes excellence in gastronomy. The region’s culinary excellence is showcased at this prestigious and industry influential event.
On arrival, guests were treated to a welcome drink, a toast to what was to be an unforgettable evening. The elegance and detail of the décor, again by The Main Event, made the guests feel special, and they were, as they were, the stars of the show!
Meanwhile, the chef’s statuette, an emblem of gastronomic excellence, was welcome to the red carpet. Each photograph captured not only the guests but also the excitement and pride of being part of an ever-growing culinary community.
At the welcome cocktail, we listened to the guest DJ, May Parra, who contacted them earlier this year from Spain through Culinary Awards social networks to participate. Already in the lounge, with a smile reflecting her enthusiasm and passion for the gastronomy of Los Cabos, Amparo García took the microphone and instantly captured the attention of everyone present.
- One hundred fifty-two restaurants in Los Cabos, Todos Santos, El Pescadero and El Triunfo registered voluntarily and free of charge.
- All 152 restaurants will be listed in the Culinary Awards print and digital directory.
- 62 of the registered restaurants were nominated at least once.
- The 86 members of the jury nominated 10 categories. They all committed to evaluating the registered restaurants anonymously and covering the total amount of their consumption. The Culinary Awards Mystery Shopper Jury issued their evaluations on ballots covering various concepts related to the restaurant industry at each visit.
- 67,036 votes were cast by the public, an increase of 139% on last year.
- Twenty thousand two hundred seventy-five users voted online.
- The public determined 10 categories through an online vote to support their favourite restaurants via the Culinary Awards app.
- 2 categorías premiarán Reserva de la Familia José Cuervo, elegidos también a través de votación del público.
- One prize was awarded by direct allocation by the Jury Committee.
- The Organizing Committee awarded one special prize: Culinary Awards Silver Tribute.
- The Culinary Lifetime Achievement Award was presented at Crania during the Nominations event to Edith Jimenez for pioneering gastronomy in Los Cabos.
Crowe was also mentioned as one of the largest public accounting, consulting, and technology firms in Mexico, which reviewed and validated the results.
Each of the winners received the emblematic statuette, created by the multidisciplinary artist Yandi Monardo and reproduced by Talleres de los Ballesteros, a company specialising in designing and marketing fine silver jewellery and silverware.
The Winners
At the end of the blog, you will find the list of winners and their corresponding categories. Meanwhile, we tell you about the sensational awards ceremony, most of which were handed over by executives of the sponsoring companies.
After the first five categories were awarded, the first guest of the evening, Felipe Fernández, president of the Board of Directors of Alianza por la Seguridad Alimentariade Baja California Sur, ASA Alimentaria, took to the stage and gave us an insight into the estimable work they are doing to reduce food loss and waste.
“Our health systems are designed to maximise food yields, and it is a critical process that we have to follow to turn it around. At the Nominations, many of you brought food pantries for this project in conjunction with ASA Alimentaria, and we thank you very much,” said Felipe Fernandez, referring to the donations delivered at Crania on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
The awards continued, and another pause was made, this time to present the Culinary Awards Silver Tribute.
Héctor Zúñiga, general manager of Baja Wines, was surprised by the award presented by Linda McHatton and Claudia del Pino, the awards’ founding partners.
“The truth is that I came prepared to present an award but not to receive one. Thank you very much to everyone: Claudia, Linda, Amparo, and the host hotel, JW Marriott. It’s a great event, and it just keeps improving. Hopefully, it will continue to grow, and we will continue to support it with everything,” said Héctor Zúñiga.
The Municipal President, Christian Agúndez of the XV H. Ayuntamiento de Los Cabos, was also present to reveal the winning chef:
“There are still many smells and flavours to be tasted, and I think organizing ourselves to promote the municipality is essential. It is important to take this whole community to another level: tourist service, gastronomy, hotels, and everything that Los Cabos represents.”
Rodrigo Esponda Cascajares, General Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Trust, gave the jury’s verdict for one of the latest awards: City Restaurant of the Year. “Both the nominated restaurants and the winners, it is an honour to have this gastronomic richness that allows us to promote the destination; according to statistics, we know that 16% of visitors chose to travel to Los Cabos for the gastronomy”.
Jesús Corral, Chairman of the Jury, Renato Mendonca, Chairman of the Jury Committee and Ricardo Orozco, member of the jury committee, presented the designated award to the restaurant chosen by the jury committee. “The restaurant is food, it is drink, it is time, it is family, it is life, and here we are; it is a delicious time today, and as we promised last Tuesday at the Awards Nominations, we will tell to whom the Jury Committee decided to give the award for restaurant of the year,” commented Jesús Corral as he revealed the name of the winner: Ardea Steakhouse, located at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos.
Chef Paolo Della Corte received the award with emotion and was deeply grateful for this recognition, being the big evening winner with three statuettes. The audience accompanied the jury’s decision with a round of applause, marking the closing of the awards ceremony.
MarHumo, the new restaurant at the JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach & Spa, was the venue of choice for the after-the-awards gala, where DJ Alejandro Rivas carefully chose the components to create an enjoyable mix in keeping with the celebratory energy that prevailed. Exclusivity and integration in the new spaces came together for the attendees to continue tasting exclusive wines from Baja Wines, and cocktails were also served with Reserva de la Familia José Cuervo distillates.
The Culinary Awards 2024 celebrated the best of our gastronomy and reminded us that the flavour of Baja California Sur continues to evolve with creativity and passion.
Here are the winners in each category:
AUDIENCE AWARDS (Online Voting)
1. Culinary Awards Food/Lunch in Cabo San Lucas
* Santo Carbon
2. Culinary Awards Comida/Lunch in Tourist Corridor
* 7 Seas Seafood Grill
3. Culinary Awards Comida/Lunch in San José del Cabo
* Come a Casa
4. Culinary Awards Breakfast and/or Cafeteria in Cabo San Lucas
* Hacienda Cocina & Cantina | Hacienda Beach Club & Residences
5. Culinary Awards Breakfast and/or Cafeteria in Tourist Corridor
* Zenna
6. Culinary Awards Breakfast and/or Cafeteria in San Jose del Cabo
* Restaurant Doña Pame
7. Culinary Awards Food/Lunch in Todos Santos – El Pescadero – El Triunfo
* El Mirador Oceanview
8. Culinary Awards Breakfast and/or Cafeteria in Todos Santos – El Pescadero – El Triunfo
* Cocina de Campo by Agricole
9. Culinary Awards Bar
* Origin
10. Culinary Awards Culinary Experience
* Il Splendido
JOSÉ CUERVO FAMILY RESERVE SPECIAL AWARDS
11. Pairing by RDLF
* Don Manuel’s I Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
12. Cocktail bar by RDLF
* Agave Study At Peacock Alley | Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
JURY AWARDS
13. New Restaurant
* Torote Restaurant at Valle del Sol
14. Consolidated Restaurant
* Bar Esquina | Bahía Hotel & Beach House
15. Wine Experience
* Ardea Steakhouse | Nobu Hotel Los Cabos
16. Service Excellence
* Seared | One & Only Palmilla
17. Gastronomic Experience
* Sakagura Los Cabos | Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort Los Cabos
18. Pastry Chef of the Year
* Chef Isabel Calderón | DUM Todos Santos
19. Restaurant of the Year, in Hotel
* Arbol | Las Ventanas al Paraíso
20. Restaurant of the Year, City
* Zenna
21. Chef of the Year
* Chef Cristian Garcia | Seared | One & Only Palmilla
22. Consolidated Chef
* Chef Paolo Della Corte | Ardea Steakhouse | Muna |Nami | Hotel Nobu Los Cabos
* Chef Paolo Della Corte | Ardea Steakhouse I Muna | Nami I Hotel Nobu Los Cabo
AWARDS OF THE JURY COMMITTEE
23. Jury Nominated Restaurant
* Ardea Steakhouse, located at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos.
Culinary Awards is made possible thanks to the sponsorship of:
Avantec, Baja Wines, Bimbo, Cervecería Yenekamu, JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach & Spa, Crania, Crowe, DelMar a Hatfield Company, Innova Gourmet, JW Marriot Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa, Land & Building, Lyncott, Mercedes Benz, Porcelanosa, Reserva de la Familia José Cuervo, Saint Luke’s, Talleres de los Ballesteros, The Main Event, US Foods de México, VIP.MX y Yandi Monardo Art Gallery.
¡Congratulations to the winners, and thank you so much for making this fantastic night organized by PR Solutions and Tendencia possible!
