Every second year, JRE recognizes outstanding individuals across six categories: Talent of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Sommelier of the Year, Sustainability Award, Innovation Award and Taste of Origin Award.

TALENT/CHEF OF THE YEAR – powered by PASTIFICIO DEI CAMPI

"A new generation is inventing tomorrow's gourmet cuisine."

This young talent is driven by desire. To create cuisine that harmonizes with both personal values and philosophy, while offering an outstanding experience to every guest. This ultimate creator of flavour and taste demonstrates extraordinary skill and creativity, lifting gourmet standards to the highest level possible. Together with Pastificio dei Campi, we are proud to present the Talent of the Year Award to the ultimate creator of flavour and taste. The nominees are:

• Lukas Nagl, Restaurant Das Traunsee, Austria

• Alessandro Ciriello, Restaurant L’Horizon, Belgium

• Marko Gajski, Restaurant LD, Croatia

• Alexander Wulf , Restaurant Troyka, Germany

• Ivan Gotfredsen, Restaurant Châtelard, France

• Dario Guidi, Restaurant Osteria Magenes, Italy

• Yornie van Dijk, Restaurant Basiliek, The Netherlands

• Jakob Pintar, Restaurant Tabar, Slovenia

• Rafa de Bedoya, Restaurant Aleia, Spain

• Christian Aeby, Restaurant Du Bourg, Switzerland

• Rafael Cagali, Restaurant Da Terra, United Kingdom

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD – powered by MASTERCARD

“Unparalleled professionalism is harnessed to create a truly magical stay.”

To dine at a JRE restaurant is to enjoy a seamless, perfectly executed fine dining experience. But behind the scenes, a team of true professionals guided by a talented Chef works tirelessly to ensure only the highest standards. Perfect, discreet, almost invisible. Never-ending passion is key in everything we do, to ensure that every experience is, Priceless. The Entrepreneur of the Year Award in partnership with Mastercard is an homage to the Chef who is that distinctive Master. The nominees are:

• Thomas Dorfer, Restaurant Landhaus Bacher, Austria

• Seppe Bleus, Restaurant De Fakkels, Belgium

• Teo Fernetich, Restaurant San Rocco, Croatia

• Jan-Philipp Berner, Restaurant Söl’ring Hof, Germany

• Alex Montois, Restaurant L’Annexe, France

• Enrico Bartolini, Restaurant Enrico Bartolini, Italy

• Rick Blanken, Restaurant Ledeboer, The Netherlands

• Marko Pavčnik, Restaurant Pavus, Slovenia

• Carles Ramon & Manu Núñez, Restaurant Besta, Spain

• Rolf Fuchs, Restaurant Panorama, Switzerland

• Mark Dixon, Restaurant The Kings Arms, United Kingdom

SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR

“Since the beginning, we’ve prided ourselves on a warm welcome and excellent service.”

Our 2024 Sommelier Award winner shows great soul and spirit with regard to guest wellbeing. This sommelier creates a culture of excellence and ensures everything from a perfect ambiance to a carefully curated wine cellar, to the ability to support young professionals to excel in the art of service excellence. We give this Sommelier Award to the most outstanding JRE in this field. The nominees are:

• Maximilian Lucian, Restaurant Griggeler Stuba, Austria

• Tijs Coessens, Restaurant Les Abris, Belgium

• Rudolf Štefan, Restaurant Pelegrini, Croatia

• Désirée Steinheuer, Restaurant Zur Alten Post, Germany

• Lucas Ramstein, Restaurant Auberge Ramstein, France

• Massimiliano Mascia, Restaurant San Domenico, Italy

• Corine Vink, Restaurant Amused, The Netherlands

• Nina Bratovž, Restaurant JB, Slovenia

• Nadège Freudiger, Restaurant Auberge Communale, Switzerland

• Barny Taylor, Restaurant The Dysart, United Kingdom

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD – powered by SWAN HELLENIC

“Respect for nature is one of our main, ongoing concerns.”

The winning Chef lives in harmony with the environment and takes great pride in that. Committed to serving fresh, sustainably produced, and ethically sourced ingredients, this Chef goes all the way to find the best local and seasonal produce. We honour the Chef as well as Swan Hellenic for their dedication to sustainable development and raising awareness of how our choices impact the world around us. The nominees are:

• Hannes Müller, Restaurant Die Forelle, Austria

• Olivier Bauche, Restaurant La Gloriette, Belgium

• Bernard Korak, Restaurant Korak, Croatia

• Maurizio Oster, Restaurant Zeik, Germany

• Grégory Doucey, Restaurant In-Fine, France

• Stefano Pinciaroli, Restaurant PS, Italy

• Jeroen Sportel, Restaurant Vive la Vie, The Netherlands

• Grega Repovž, Restaurant Gostilna Repovž, Slovenia

• Borja Marrero, Restaurant MuXgo, Spain

• Patrick Germann, Restaurant Bären, Switzerland

• Rob Krawczyk, Restaurant Chestnut, Ireland

INNOVATION AWARD – powered by CARPIGIANI

"Combine the best of heritage with cutting-edge innovation to ensure an inspiring passage into the future."

Innovation is the key to progress. The winning chef in this category showcases the very best of innovative cuisine. Respecting culinary heritage, the chef constantly creates unexpected experiences and unique pleasures by using state-of-the-art techniques, this chef develops inspiring gastronomy and innovative dishes for the new era. In collaboration with Carpigiani, we honour the Chef who shows authenticity in the pursuit of both excellence and creativity. The nominees are:

• Klemens Schraml, Restaurant Rau, Austria

• Philippe Lowette, Bistro Philippe, Belgium

• Ivan Badurina, Restaurant Badi, Croatia

• Daniel Schmidthaler, Restaurant Alte Schule, Germany

• Nicolas Durif, Restaurant L’Hysope, France

• Federico Beretta, Restaurant Feel Como, Italy

• Joppe Sprinkhuizen, Restaurant Sillyfox, The Netherlands

• Gašper Puhan, Restaurant Galerija Okusov, Slovenia

• Simon Petutschnig, Restaurant Fera, Spain

• Björn Inniger, Restaurant Alpenblick, Switzerland

• Ryan Blackburn, Restaurant Old Stamp House, United Kingdom

TASTE OF ORIGIN – powered by PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

“Heritage is a dialogue between the past and the future.”

JRE has been committed to keeping the tradition alive for over 50 years. Gathering together a veritable pool of talent. In the name of our peers and their art of long-standing expertise, we acknowledge today the Chef who focuses on the transfer of skills and knowledge. This winning Chef celebrates tradition using the past as an endless source of inspiration to create exceptional classical cuisine. Together with Parmigiano Reggiano, we salute the Chef who preserves the past and celebrates the future.

• Uwe Machreich, Restaurant Triad, Austria

• Sébastien Lambert, Restaurant Au Moriane, Belgium

• Vjeko Bašić, Restaurant Boba, Croatia

• Tobias Bätz, Restaurant „AURA" by Alexander Herrmann and Tobias Bätz, Germany

• Pricillia Lebon, Restaurant L’Ogustin, France

• Paolo Trippini, Restaurant Trippini, Italy

• Liset Bom, Restaurant Cèpes, The Netherlands

• Filip Breznik, Restaurant Hiša Raduha, Slovenia

• Seve Diaz, Restaurant El Taller, Spain

• Domingo S. Domingo, Restaurant Mille Sens, Switzerland

• Alfred Prasad, Restaurant Shiuli, United Kingdom

The JRE Awards ceremony will be part of the JRE 50 Years Congress on April 7 and 8, 2024 in Paris, France where we will unveil the winners of these awards, showcasing the pinnacle of culinary brilliance within the JRE community.