Nina Métayer: The World’s Best Pastry Chef 2024

The world of gastronomy gathered on the night of June 5 in Las Vegas (United States) to celebrate The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 awards, in which Disfrutar, from Barcelona, was named The World’s Best Restaurant 2024. The awards ceremony, held at the luxurious Wynn hotel complex in this famous city, paid tribute to the top gastronomic talent of 24 territories on five continents.

During the ceremony we had the great opportunity to award the prize: “The World’s Best Pastry Chef Award 2024” to Nina Métayer of Delicatesserie Pastry Shop in Paris – France, an award that was given by Sosa Ingredients CEO Daniel Rio.

Nina Métayer, born in La Rochelle, France, has made her mark on the world pastry scene with her innovative approach and boundless creativity. Known for transforming everyday ingredients into unique sensory experiences, Métayer has created amazing desserts such as a strawberry and poppy pavlova and an island.

Now the world’s best pastry chef 2024, she had previously been recognized as the best pastry chef of the year on several occasions before her 30th birthday. Her career began working in prestigious places such as Le Meurice and with Jean-François Piège, accumulating distinctions and developing her own business, Delicatesserie, in Paris. Undoubtedly, his recognition is a well-deserved tribute to his exceptional skill and his impact on contemporary pastry.

At the same time, we had the opportunity to offer to the more than 1,500 guests invited to the event a selection of typical dishes from our region designed especially for the occasion.

Among them you could enjoy:

“Patata Brava”. a reinterpretation of the traditional Spanish tapa patatas bravas, “Buñuelos de bacalao”, a modern version of the classic appetizer of fried cod fritters, and two other options: “Catalan citrus flan” and “Churros de Gianduja with Chantilly Cream”.

The best restaurants in the world: Top 3

In the list of the world’s best restaurants: Disfrutar, the Barcelona flagship restaurant of chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas, was crowned No.1, succeeding the 2023 winner, Central in Lima, which now rises to the Best of the Best Hall of Fame.

Disfrutar, which ranked No.2 on the list in 2023, is a tribute to Catalonia, where the restaurant is located, with imaginative dishes executed with exceptional technical skill and served in the most entertaining way possible. Two 30-course side menus are offered: The Classic and The Festival.

The former includes dishes such as Thai-style cuttlefish with multi-spherical coconut and squabwith kombu spaghetti, almonds and grapes, while the famous and delicious Panchino doughnut stuffed with caviar and the brilliant frozen gazpacho sandwich can be found in the Classic option. Enjoy is followed by Asador Etxebarri (No.2) in Atxondo (Spain) and Table by Bruno Verjus (No.3) in Paris (France).

The best of the best

The restaurants in the elite group of No.1 ranked restaurants (listed below) have more than proven their worth and will forever be honored as iconic dining destinations in the Best of the Best hall of fame. The chefs and restaurateurs who have taken their restaurants to the top of the list have expressed their desire to invest in the future of the sector and “give back” to the world of gastronomy through new projects and initiatives.

The following restaurants have been named No.1 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since the list’s inception and, therefore, have not been eligible to be voted on in 2024, nor will they be in future years:

• El Bulli (2002, 2006-2009)
• The French Laundry (2003-2004)
• The Fat Duck (2005)
• Noma – original location (2010-2012, 2014)
• El Celler de Can Roca (2013, 2015)
• Osteria Francescana (2016, 2018).
• Eleven Madison Park (2017)
• Mirazur (2019)
• Noma – current location (2021)
• Geranium (2022)
• Central Restaurant (2023)