TodoAlicante Pays Tribute to Alicante Gastronomy with 'Historias con Delantal 2025' Awards

In Alicante, cuisine is in vogue. This year, 2025, the city has earned the title of Spanish Capital of Gastronomy. Chefs, sommeliers, and waiters are an indispensable part of the restaurants and establishments in the Alicante capital, offering both traditional and innovative experiences to suit every taste. TodoAlicante has honoured them all in the first edition of the 'Historias con Delantal' awards.

The director of TodoAlicante, Concha Pastor, explained the origin of these awards and the gastronomy channel that the media outlet launched this year. "It reflects the history of chefs from across the province, the vast array of restaurants and bars available to all citizens in a city and province regarded by tourists from central and northern Spain and Europe as the Gateway to Gastronomy," Pastor noted. The director highlighted the 800,000 unique monthly users achieved by TodoAlicante in just two and a half years, "a great achievement and a clear sign of the trust that the people of Alicante have placed in us."

The director of the newspaper Las Provincias, Jesus Trelis, from the Vocento Group, also highlighted TodoAlicante's informative commitment, "which was needed in the city." Trelis recalled the origins of the 'Historias con Delantal' brand in a blog in 2012 and how it grew over time as a space where the faces behind the world of catering are the protagonists. "Gastronomy is our culture and our way of life; it is what people demand," he stated. Regarding the awardees, he remarked that they are "the reflection of the present, past, and future of gastronomy."

The event personified the culinary excellence of the province in three Alicante chefs with the three awards presented. Alba Esteve, from Alba, received the Revelation award for her fusion of Italian and Alicante cuisine, presented by the president of the Provincial Association of Hospitality Entrepreneurs (APEHA), María del Mar Valera. In her kitchen, the best ingredients from 'la terreta' are mixed with pasta country techniques or vice versa. The chef expressed her gratitude for an award she considers the result of many years of work. "This award recognises the effort we dedicate day by day, which sometimes goes unnoticed from the outside," she remarked. Esteve highlighted the importance of such tributes: "tomorrow we will wake up with even more desire to do better than we did yesterday."

The 'Historias con Delantal 2025' Innovation award went to Pablo Montoro, from Espacio Montoro. This award recognises the creativity of the cuisine that emerges from the hands and imagination of this chef, who creates ingredients, flavours, and textures from scratch in one of the most exceptional offerings on the Alicante gastronomic scene. The mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, presented the statuette to the chef. Montoro wanted to share this award with his team, who "make a great effort to ensure people have a beautiful experience in our Space." The chef recalled that six years ago he started with a team of four people, and now there are 28. "We are delighted to continue growing," he concluded.

The final award of the night recognised a lifetime's work. The 'Historias con Delantal 2025' Lifetime Achievement award was received by Vicente Castelló, founder of Grupo Gastronou. From El Nou Manolín, Castelló turned the bar counter into an art form, not inventing anything but championing the best of a restaurant and bringing the kitchen into view of the customer. The president of the Alicante Chamber of Commerce, Carlos Baño, presented the statuette to the chef's grandson, Carlos Castelló, who expressed gratitude on behalf of his grandfather for this award: "he would have loved to be here." "My grandfather and grandmother dedicated their entire lives to work, and now the new generations must live up to it and continue their story," he emphasised.

The mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, closed the first edition of the 'Historias con Delantal' Awards by congratulating the winners. The mayor recalled when it was necessary to look outside the province for the greats of gastronomy, and now "the great stars are here." Barcala highlighted the importance of Alicante's designation as the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy. "We are fighting for the internationalisation of the brand, and we want this to be a long-term commitment, not just a one-day wonder," Barcala explained. He also emphasised that gastronomy is linked to the city's cultural heritage. "That's why the importance of a channel like this, which emphasises all the roots condensed into a bite that contains the entire compendium of what someone can feel in Alicante," he concluded.