It is probably fair to say that every dining traveler waits impatiently for the results of World’s 50 Best Restaurants. I have always been curious about the selection process. Lucky me! I had the opportunity to interview William Drew, Group Editor, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants who shared some behind the scenes facts about this highly anticipated event.
Question 1: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is back in Europe with its award ceremony in Bilbao, one of the culinary capitals of Europe. Aside from the fantastic food of Basque country, are there any other elements that influenced the decision?
After having our two most recent World events in the US and Australia, we felt that 2018 was the right time to return to Europe. Bilbao has a very different feel than London and the Basque Region is very much a European food hotspot. The support from the Basque Country has been incredible to-date for this year’s event programme.
Question 2: For those like myself who follow The World’s 50 Best Restaurants religiously, is there anything new (aside from the location) we can expect from this year’s ceremony? Without giving away too much, will there be many newcomers to the list?
There are always new and exciting entries. One of the events that we are most excited about this year is our new scholarship programme: the 50 Best BBVA Scholarship. In order to be eligible, chefs must have less than three years’ experience. We received over 1,000 entries from 82 different countries. Jessie Liu, an aspiring chef from Taiwan is the winner of this award. She will be flown to Bilbao to accept their award during this year’s event.
In addition to receiving the award, the recipient will spend six weeks working at Andoni Luis Aduriz’s restaurant Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain, which is the No.9 restaurant in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017, and six weeks in the kitchen of the 2016 World’s Best Female Chef Dominique Crenn at Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, USA.
Question 3: Can you tell us a bit about the judging process for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants?
We have over 1,000 judges from all over the world. Voters consist of various groups — chefs, food writers, and well-traveled gourmets across 26 regions in the world. Judges must select their top 10 restaurants, with a maximum of four coming from their home region. We do not provide any specific criteria to the voters except that voters must have dined at their selections within an 18-month period of voting. Voters remain anonymous, and Deloitte oversees the voting process.
Question 4: I recently traveled to Peru and had the opportunity to experience Central, which was one of the top restaurants on last year’s list. Do you have any personal impressions?
I haven’t dined at Central in a while, but I have to say that it is more than delicious — the restaurant tells us a story about Peru. We learn about Peruvian indigenous ingredients, promoting the biodiversity of the country. Every dish that Virgilio Martinez creates tells a deeper story.
Question 5: Chef’s Table has made the story of many of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants come alive and inspired people like me to travel to faraway places to experience a restaurant. Are there plans for more content of that kind beyond the show?
We’ve worked with the producers of Chef’s Table and many other production companies want to tell the story of these restaurants in a similar manner. The team at 50 Best also creates our own independent content. The World’s 50 Best YouTube Channel has shorter, more succinct episodes of many dining destinations throughout the world.
Question 6: On a personal note… Given your job, I assume you travel quite a bit. What are your current top three dining destinations? Any restaurant recommendations?
Due to my position as Group Editor at The World’s 50 Best, I can’t give specific names. However, I can tell you which regions I want to go to: I would love to explore Chile and the rest of South America, more of mainland China and smaller cities in the United States.
