{"id":51281,"date":"2026-09-03T10:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/itamae-balfego-revela-el-jurado-de-su-iv-edicion\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T10:19:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:19:24","slug":"itamae-balfego-revela-el-jurado-de-su-iv-edicion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/itamae-balfego-revela-el-jurado-de-su-iv-edicion\/","title":{"rendered":"ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3 Reveals the Jury for Its Fourth Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven leading figures in sushi and international gastronomy will judge the ten finalists of the fourth edition of ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Following the 2024 edition, ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3 returns with a new edition that expands its international reach and opens the competition to sushi chefs from across Europe<\/strong>, with the aim of further strengthening its international presence and bringing together different approaches to Japanese gastronomy around Balfeg\u00f3 bluefin tuna.<\/p>\n

The fourth edition is heading towards its grand final with an international jury made up of seven leading professionals in the worlds of sushi and haute cuisine<\/strong>, representing renowned restaurants in Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, France and Germany. This year\u2019s jury will comprise Hideki Matsuhisa, Yoshikazu Yanome, Kazutoshi Endo, Alon Than, Masashi Suzuki, Emanuele Bombardier and Van Giang Nguyen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

An International Jury<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Hideki Matsuhisa<\/strong>, chef at Koy Shunka<\/strong>* in Barcelona, will bring his expertise in a cuisine that combines Japanese techniques with Mediterranean produce. Koy Shunka holds one MICHELIN Star.<\/li>\n
  2. Yoshikazu Yanome<\/strong>, chef at Kaido<\/strong>* in Valencia, joins the jury with a cuisine rooted in the tradition of Edomae Sushi, where technical precision and product quality play a fundamental role. Kaido holds one MICHELIN Star.<\/li>\n
  3. Endo Kazutoshi<\/strong>, chef at Endo at The Rotunda<\/strong>* in London, is a third-generation sushi master specialising in the Edomae tradition and a contemporary interpretation of omakase. The restaurant holds one MICHELIN Star.<\/li>\n
  4. Alon Than<\/strong>, chef and owner of Alon Omakase<\/strong>* in Warsaw, has almost 20 years of experience and specialises in Edomae sushi. In 2015, he won the World Sushi Cup in Tokyo. In 2026, Alon Omakase became the first Japanese restaurant in Poland to receive a MICHELIN Star.<\/li>\n
  5. Masashi Suzuki<\/strong>, sushi master at IYO Omakase<\/strong> in Milan, will bring his expertise in the Edomae-zushi tradition. Suzuki is the creator of the restaurant\u2019s omakase menu, based on a selection of the finest seasonal and seafood ingredients.<\/li>\n
  6. Emanuele Bombardier<\/strong>, Executive Chef at Matsuhisa Paris<\/strong>, at the Royal Monceau \u2013 Raffles Paris, has led the restaurant\u2019s kitchens since October 2022. He has more than 15 years of experience working alongside chef Nobu Matsuhisa across Europe and South Africa.<\/li>\n
  7. Van Giang Nguyen<\/strong>, head of Chang Restaurant<\/strong> in Gr\u00fcnwald, near Munich, leads the restaurant\u2019s culinary project, whose Asian-inspired offering combines Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai specialities, with sushi as one of its main culinary expressions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    The Perspective of Seven Experts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The composition of the jury reflects the new dimension of ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3<\/strong>, which in its fourth edition opens participation to chefs from across Europe. During the final, participants will have to demonstrate their technique, precision, creativity and knowledge of the product<\/strong>, showcasing the gastronomic possibilities of Balfeg\u00f3 bluefin tuna. The jury will be responsible for evaluating the work of the ten finalists and deciding who will be crowned ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    A Final at Balfeg\u00f3\u2019s New Facilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    The grand final of ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3 2026 will take place on 28 September<\/strong> at Balfeg\u00f3\u2019s new facilities in l\u2019Ametlla de Mar, home to the world\u2019s most advanced facilities dedicated to bluefin tuna<\/strong>. Applications for the fourth edition closed on Sunday, 16 August<\/strong>, following a submission period opened for the first time to professionals from across Europe.<\/p>\n

    Over the coming days, ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3 will announce the ten finalists<\/strong> who will compete in the grand final on 28 September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Seven leading figures in sushi and international gastronomy will judge the ten finalists of the fourth edition of ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3 Following the 2024 edition, ITAMAE Balfeg\u00f3 returns with a new edition that expands its international reach and opens the competition to sushi chefs from across Europe, with the aim of further strengthening its international presence … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":51186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[307],"class_list":["post-51281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-balfego-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51281"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51283,"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51281\/revisions\/51283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/balfego.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}