These are the finalists for the 2026 APUGA National Gastronomy Awards

Behind every dish there is a farmer, a fisherman, a cook, an educator or a community organization. Those are the people the second edition of the APUGA 2026 National Gastronomy Awards has in mind, and the finalists have been announced.

The Academia Puertorriqueña de Gastronomía (APUGA) announced the finalists for the 13 categories of the competition on Nov. 6. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at a ceremony at the hotel The Royal Sonesta San Juan.

Why it matters. These awards recognize contributions that go beyond the kitchen and generate value for society. The categories cover the entire agri-food chain, from farmers, fishermen and producers to cooks, restaurants, hospitality professionals, educators and community organizations.

• The evaluation looks at the impact of gastronomy in areas such as sustainability, social responsibility, health, education, innovation, cultural heritage preservation and local economic development.

"We are not trying to determine who cooks better or who masters a particular technique, but to recognize those who, from their respective spaces, are making significant contributions to our country," said Madelaine Vázquez Rodríguez, APUGA's executive director.

“Gastronomy goes far beyond flavor and what ends up on a plate; it is culture, identity, education, sustainability, solidarity and economic development”.

The Academia also connects the awards to sustainable gastronomic tourism as a driver of cultural, social and economic development for Puerto Rico.

Meet the finalists

Community Gastronomy

1. Casita Misericordia Gurabo

2. Plenitud PR

Healthy Gastronomy

1. AgroCocina – La Faena

2. El Grifo

3. Nutrición en tus manos

Sustainable Gastronomy

1. El Josco Bravo

2. Leña Eh

3. MenTa Cuisine

4. PRoduce!

Social Gastronomy

1. Bohemia Cocina en Movimiento – Mariano Sena

2. La Casita Blanca

3. El Pretexto – Crystal Díaz

4. Finca La Zafra

Satisfying Gastronomy

1. Andaluz

2. Bacoa Finca & Fogón

3. Lala Restaurant

4. Vianda

5. YOKO

Global Award

1. Cocina al Fondo – Natalia Vallejo

2. Cincosentidos Colaboratorio de Cocina

3. Lucía Patisserie – Lucía Merino

4. Verde Mesa

Service with Passion

1. AlCor Foods

2. Ramón Carrillo Millán

3. Sur Barra Nikkei

4. Sottovento Ristorante

Fusion and Innovation

1. Juan Peña Romero – Condado Vanderbilt Hotel

2. Crudo y Carbón – Feryabriel Landrau y Alexis Rivera

3. Dunda – Andrea Ayala

4. Bakku

5. Vegan Délice

Heritage Preservation

1. Oriundo

2. La Universidad de la Barbacoa – Pitmaster Lucca

3. Ventura Vivoni – Travesías con sabor

4. Mía Castro – Cocina Puerto Rico

Education and Mentorship

1. AMB F&B Industry University – Carlos Santiago

2. Cedric Taquin – MenTa Cuisine

3. Escuela de Agroecología El Josco Bravo

4. Marla Díaz – Lady Butcher

Agro-Culinary Product

1. De la Crema

2. AgroCocina – La Faena

3. De la Cuerda

4. Finca Guasábara

5. Rancho Orgánico Feliz

Next Generation

1. Charles M. Davis Rivera – Palio

2. Elián Fernández – Vegan Délice

3. José Meléndez – Yoko / Nuna

Puerto Rican Cocktail Culture with Global Reach

1. Edwin Borrero – 173

2. Identidad Cocktail Bar

3. Antiguo 26

4. Nicky Fas

5. Sottovento Ristorante

How winners are chosen

Selection goes through three groups: a Local Jury, an International Jury and an auditing team. APUGA explained that this structure is intended to ensure rigor, transparency and integrity throughout the process.

The Local Jury has already completed its evaluation phase, from which the finalists emerged. The International Jury is now working on the final stage to select a winner in each of the 13 categories.

International Jury. It is made up of representatives affiliated with the Academia Iberoamericana de Gastronomía and the national academies of their countries:

• Fifita Bicheli, Panama

• Hirka Roca Rey, Peru

• Alfonso Marín, Spain

• Franklin Lithgow, Dominican Republic

• José Carlos de Santiago, Cuba and Spain

APUGA is Puerto Rico's official chapter within the Academia Iberoamericana de Gastronomía (AIBG). It is a nonprofit organization that promotes, preserves and projects Puerto Rican gastronomy as an expression of cultural identity and a driver of economic, social and tourism development.

What's next

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., at The Royal Sonesta San Juan hotel. The ceremony is by invitation.

Each honoree will receive the bronze spatula, the symbol of the awards. According to APUGA, the piece represents the craft, tradition, creativity and gastronomic identity of Puerto Rico.

The winners of the first six categories will represent Puerto Rico at the Premios de la Academia Iberoamericana de Gastronomía, to be held in January 2027 in Madrid.

The official list of finalists is available on the social media accounts of the Academia Puertorriqueña de Gastronomía.

This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).