Barcelona sky to light up with Michelin stars on November 28 

The Barcelona sky will light up with Michelin stars on November 28. 

That's when food lovers will find out which restaurants have made it into the Michelin Guide Spain 2024. 

The gala takes place at the Auditorium CCIB Forum, with a dozen chefs from nine Barcelona restaurants – and with a total of 17 Michelin stars between them – set to collaborate on the night's menu for around 700 guests. 

Leading the team of chefs will be Jordi Cruz from the restaurant ABaC, brothers Javier and Sergio Torres from Cocina Hermanos Torres and Paolo Casagrande from Lasarte. Each of the restaurants have three Michelin stars.

They will be joined by Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas from Disfrutar, Raül Balam from Moments, David Andrés from Via Veneto, Albert Adrià from Enigma, Albert Raurich from Dos Palillos and Hideki Matsuhisa from Koy Shunka. 

Comedian and presenter Andreu Buenafuente will host the gala event.

Catalonia is the Autonomous Community with the most Michelin stars in Spain, while Barcelona leads the way in terms of cities.

Putting Barcelona on the map 

Chef Jordi Cruz, a familiar face to viewers of MasterChef in Spain, said of the gala event: "Our restaurant is Barcelona that night." 

Speaking at the Sants food market for the presentation event ahead of November 28, Cruz said that, while the food will undoubtedly be good, the "most important thing is community." 

"We've all met up already, started planning. Luckily all the chefs in Barcelona get along well. We're friends, brothers and sisters," Cruz said. 

Paolo Casagrande, originally from Italy but based at restaurant Lasarte in the Catalan capital, said the gala will "put Barcelona on the map, as it deserves." 

Sergio Torres said the gala was "a door that will open more doors for gastronomy in the city," while his twin brother Javier expressed his hope that the gala night would see "lots more Michelin stars in Barcelona, Catalonia and the rest of Spain." 

Foodie destination

Arantxa Calvera from Barcelona Tourism told Catalan News: "It is a huge event for the city to host the Michelin gala."

"For us it's such an honor and we also want to promote Barcelona as a destination with the highest quality gastronomy," she added.

Ahead of the gala, local neighborhood markets in Barcelona will host a series of cooking demonstations or 'showcookings' with Michelin-starred chefs between October 20 and November 6. 

Nine sessions, organized by Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Tourism, will show how municipal markets contribute to haute cuisine. 

A pre-gala debate is also organized, with the motion 'Wine is gastronomy.' It will take place on November 13 at the Auditorium in the Gaudí-designed La Pedrera building.  

Podcast

To learn more about Catalonia's rich and innovative gourmet culture, take a listen to the podcast below on superstar chefs and Michelin-starred restaurants.