These are the nominees for the 2026 APUGA National Gastronomy Awards

The Academia Puertorriqueña de Gastronomía (APUGA) announced Friday a list of more than 130 nominees for the second edition of the Premios Nacionales de Gastronomía APUGA 2026, an initiative that seeks to recognize and celebrate the people, organizations and projects that contribute to the strengthening, evolution and projection of Puerto Rico's gastronomy.

These nominees advance to the next stage and will be evaluated by a Local Jury that will select the finalists, who will be announced the first week of November. Nominees were announced in 12 categories; the Coctelería con Proyección Global (Cocktails with Global Reach) category will be announced next week in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Cocktail Week.

"In this second edition we have wanted to strengthen that comprehensive perspective, highlighting in particular sustainability and the social dimension of gastronomy: its capacity to bring people together, build connections, preserve our identity and create opportunities for communities," said Madelaine Vázquez Rodríguez, executive director of APUGA.

This year, the Gastronomía Solidaria (Community Gastronomy) category will be presented by El Comedor de la Kennedy and chef Iván Clemente, who has received the Gastronomía Solidaria award both in Puerto Rico, from APUGA, and at the Ibero-American level, from the Academia Iberoamericana de Gastronomía, in their respective previous editions.

The winner of this category will receive a special recognition bearing the name of chef Iván Clemente, as a tribute to his career and commitment to solidarity, reaffirming the importance of gastronomy as a tool for support, well-being and social transformation for the most underserved communities.

What to Know About the Awards

The Premios Nacionales de Gastronomía APUGA 2026 will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at a special ceremony at The Royal Sonesta San Juan hotel in Carolina.

• The six 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.

“Reconocer nuestro talento es también reconocer a quienes cultivan nuestros alimentos, preservan nuestras tradiciones, educan a las nuevas generaciones, desarrollan proyectos innovadores y utilizan la gastronomía como herramienta de transformación social”.

Local Jury. APUGA announced that the Local Jury to select the finalists is composed of:

• Stanley Tapia – Director of the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Universidad Ana G. Méndez

• René Ñeco – Professor and program director, Universidad Ana G. Méndez

• Noraima Ramos – Vice President of Academic Affairs, Escuela Hotelera de San Juan

• Clarissa Jiménez – President, Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association (PRHTA)

• Dra. Jesmarie Ramírez – Professor at the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, UPR Carolina

• Dr. Dorian Lugo – Retired professor of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, Master's in Cultural Management, UPR Río Piedras

Nominations and categories. In this second edition, APUGA received 227 submissions from different sectors of the industry, competing in 13 recognition categories, covering everything from culinary excellence, agro-culinary production, education and innovation to initiatives that promote health, solidarity, sustainability and the social dimension of gastronomy.

Phased evaluation. The selection process for the Premios Nacionales de Gastronomía APUGA 2026 comprises four phases, designed to ensure an organized evaluation grounded in the criteria established for each category.

• First phase. Open public call and applications through an online form.

• Second phase. The Evaluation Committee conducted an audit and verified that the 227 applications received included the required information and met the criteria for their category. From there, the official list of nominees was determined.

• Third phase. The Local Jury evaluates the nominations to select the finalists.

• Fourth phase. The International Jury will be responsible for evaluating the finalists and selecting the winners in each category, whose names will be announced at the official awards ceremony.

“Uno de los grandes valores de estos premios es que nos permiten visibilizar el extraordinario talento que existe a lo largo de toda nuestra cadena gastronómica, incluyendo proyectos que muchas veces no reciben el reconocimiento que merecen”.

Meet the nominees

Gastronomía Solidaria (Community-Focused Gastronomy)

1. Casita Misericordia Gurabo

2. Plenitud PR

3. Loraine Arroyo - Ylang Ylang

4. El Departamento de la Comida de PR

Gastronomía Saludable (Healthy Gastronomy)

1. AgroCocina – La Faena

2. El Grifo

3. Nutrición en tus manos

4. Jessica Colón Reyes – Frescura Vegan Kitchen

5. Elián Fernández – Vegan Délice Plant Based Culinary Art

Gastronomía Sostenible (Sustainable Gastronomy)

1. Amasar

2. José Álvarez - Andaluz

3. Marielys Hernández - Awwa / Kumo

4. Festín en la Tala – Josco Bravo

5. Melvo Melvín González – La Tala

6. Rubén Guzmán – Leña Eh

7. Manzana de Java

8. Materia Prima

9. Cedric Tequin – Menta Cuisine

10. PRoduce

11. Rancho Orgánico Feliz

12. Sama Bistro Playero

13. AgroCocina

14. Ylang Ylang

15. Orujo

16. Flora Cocina de Autor

17. Peace N Loaf

18. Planeta Ambrosía

Gastronomía Sociable (Social Gastronomy)

1. Aldeana

2. Bohemia Cocina en Movimiento - Mariano Sena

3. Cachivache - Gabriel Vargas

4. Casita Blanca

5. Cocina Abierta

6. El Pretexto – Crystal Díaz

7. Finca La Zafra

8. La Promesa – Manolo López

9. Mario Pagán Restaurant Group

10. Ocho Puertas

11. PyP Restaurant – Waldemar Marrero

12. Chotís en Ávila

13. Tía

14. El Quenepo

Gastronomía Satisfactoria (Exceptional Gastronomy)

1. 1919

2. Alacena Restaurant

3. Andaluz

4. Bacoa Finca & Fogón

5. Bakku

6. Casita Miramar

7. El Gallo Pinto

8. El Júbilo

9. Godai by Sakana

10. Lala Restaurant

11. Restaurante Ariel

12. Restaurante Mameya

13. Sottovento Ristorante

14. Vianda

15. Yoko

16. La Tropical – Roberto Treviño

17. Marmalade Restaurant

18. Restaurante Julia

19. La Marisquería Jíbara

20. La Cocina de María Franco

Galardón Global (Global Award)

1. Cincosentidos Colaboratorio de Cocina

2. Cocina al Fondo – Natalia Vallejo

3. La Pícara – Xiomara Márquez

4. Levant – Sebastián Rosado

5. Lucía Patisserie – Lucía Merino

6. Verde Mesa

7. Orujo – Carlos Portela

Servicio con Pasión (Service with Passion)

1. AlCor Foods

2. Bakku

3. Caleta Café

4. Los Naranjos Restaurant

5. Ramón Carrillo Millán – Wyndham Grand Río Mar

6. Sur Barra Nikkei

7. Yareli Manning – Miramar Food Truck Park

8. Verde Mesa

Coctelería (Cocktails)

Los nominados en la categoría de Coctelería con Proyección Global (Cocktails with Global Reach)serán anunciados la semana entrante en colaboración con la Puerto Rico Cocktail Week.

Fusión e Innovación (Fusion and Innovation)

1. Bodega Esquina Gastronómica - Luis Díaz

2. Canvas Restaurant – Héctor González

3. Juan Peña Romero – Condado Vanderbilt Hotel

4. Crudo y Carbón – Feryabriel Landrau y Alexis Rivera

5. Amaya – Daniel Lugo

6. Dunda – Andrea Ayala

7. El Estudio

8. El Rastro

9. Grasa

10. Laut – Jorge López Stella

11. La Jolla Cuisine

12. Lulo´s Sweet and Savory – Andrea Santiago

13. Manzana de Java14. SatoFino

14. Sottovento Ristorante

15. Sur Barra Nikkei – Rafael Ubior

16. Vegan Délice

17. Restaurante Paros

18. Lola Eclectic Cuisine

19. Nasha Fournier – Condado Collection

20. Porcell Cocina

21. L´Olivo

Preservación del patrimonio (Heritage Preservation)

1. Casita Blanca

2. Casita Miramar

3. Chef Enrique Piñeiro

4. Oriundo

5. La Universidad de la Barbacoa – Pitmaster Lucca

6. Ventura Vivoni – Travesías con sabor

7. Cachichache & Co. – Gabriel Vargas

8. Mía Castro – Cocina Puerto Rico

9. Natural Vegan – Jesiree Santiago

10. Wilo Benet

11. El Rancho de Apa

12. Casa Vieja

Educación y Mentoría (Education and Mentorship)

1. AMB F&B Industry University – Carlos Santiago

2. Cedric Tequin – Menta Cuisine

3. Benmar Santos – Cielito by Sur

4. Mía Castro – Cocina Puerto Rico

5. Escuela de Agroecología El Josco Bravo

6. Marla Díaz – Lady Butcher

7. Anthony Elizo

8. Frutos del Guacabo

Producto Agroculinario (Agrocultural Product)

1. AgroCocina

2. De la Crema

3. De la Cuerda

4. Finca El Conuco

5. Finca Guasabara

6. La Ceba

7. PRoduce!

8. Productos Aúna

9. Quality Agriculture Farm

10. Rancho Orgánico Feliz

11. Finca El Pastoreo

Próxima Generación (Next Generation)

1. Alejandro Bobet – Bobet´s Bakehouse

2. Eric Jiménez – Casita Vieja

3. Charles M. Davis Rivera – Palio Wyndham Grand Río Mar

4. Joerick Rivera – Bakku

5. Juan Lebrón – Bacoa

6. Luis E. Rodríguez Ortíz – Mamaya Restaurant

7. Feryabriel Landrau y Alexis Rivera – Crudo y Carbón

8. José Meléndez – Yoko y Nuna

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