World Paella CUP 2024: Valencia Begins the Search for the Best Paella Chef

Valencia, Spain (May 17, 2024)- The World Paella Day CUP is back for its 4^th consecutive year taking place on September 20^th. The event brings together chefs, every year, from all over the world who seek to win the title of best paella maker. International Paella Day takes place on the same date and provides the opportunity to honor the most international dish of Valencian gastronomy. This year, once again, Spain will maintain its role as host, but will not take part in the competition. The public will play an important role in the competition, as their votes will be crucial in choosing the finalists who will be eligible for the trophy and winning recognition as the best paella chef.

The selection of cooks for this year’s edition of the World Paella CUP has already started. Those who want to participate have until May 31^st to fill in this form. They must send a photo and a video no longer than 59 seconds. The video should show their personal story, the country they want to represent and why they would like to be part of this competition. 

The material should be sent by email to worldcup@worldpaelladay.org. The best candidates will go through to the final phase and their videos will be uploaded on the official WPD website www.worldpaelladay.org. From June 10^th to the 23^rd, the public will be able to vote for their favorite chef. In addition, any foodie can upload their favorite candidate to their social networks using the hashtag #WorldPaellaDayCUP and the # of the contestant they are cheering for. 

A jury of professionals will decide considering the votes, geographical representativeness, media and social media impact, etc. who will be the finalists which will have the opportunity to win the trophy for the best paella chef during the World Paella Day. They will also be able to enjoy the experiences and activities on offer at the World Paella Day Stage.

World Paella Day Stage: gastronomic experience for only the best

Once again, this year, the finalists will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the gastronomic culture of Valencia for a week experiencing the World Paella Day Stage. Led by the best paella experts, they will be able to get to know Valencia and its province, the birthplace of paella. For five days, the finalists will be able to visit the rice fields of the Albufera Natural Park, the Central Market and the Huerta de Valencia, the breadbasket of the city.

Then, on 20th September, they will battle it out to see who can cook the best paella in the 5th edition of the World Paella Day Cup and take home the trophy. All participants will receive a personalized jacket and a certificate of their status as finalists.

This will be the fifth edition of the World Paella Day Cup after several previous renditions. Chefs and winners from previous years will share their experience of the competition and encourage the next competitors to join in this exciting gastronomic journey towards the most international dish of Valencian gastronomy.

Eric Gil, winner of the 2022 competition, stated, “The World Paella Day Cup is a worldwide paella competition that brings together fans of this iconic dish from Valencia. It gives you the chance to cook to your heart’s content, while staying close to tradition. Taking part in the competition changed my career path, giving me the privilege of introducing traditional rice dishes to France.”

The World Paella Day Cup 2024 is warming up

The countdown begins to find out who will win the trophy of the next edition of the World Paella Day CUP and the public has a lot to do in the selection of both the winner and the finalists who can opt for the prize and make paella culture bigger around the world.

The World Paella Day Cup is one of the most powerful gastronomic promotional actions both inside and outside Spain. This type of activation continues to be carried out thanks to the support of different Spanish public entities such as: Turespaña, Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, the Patronato de Turismo de la Diputación de Valencia, the Ayuntamiento de València and the Fundación Visit València. In addition to the collaboration of the D.O. Arroz de Valencia, Wikipaella, the Federación de Hosteleria de Valencia and the Concurso de Paella Valenciana de Sueca.