Malaga will host the next Michelin stars gala

Málaga will host the next Michelin Guide gala, where its well-known stars are awarded to the best restaurants and chefs in the country. It is the big night of Spanish gastronomy, a traveling gala whose last edition was held in November in Murcia and has passed through cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. Málaga had been bidding for months to host this event for the first time, as this newspaper advanced in January, and the candidacy will be formalized this Friday in an event organized at La Cónsula, where the specific details of the event, which have not yet been disclosed, will be provided.

The sponsorships from the Andalusian Regional Government, contributing about half a million euros; the City Council, with about 250,000 euros, and the Provincial Council, with another 250,000 euros according to sources consulted, although these figures have not yet been confirmed by the administrations, have been fundamental in bringing the gala to Málaga, the Andalusian province with the most Michelin stars.

From the French giant, they were not quite confirming the news, although they have always assured that Málaga is "a wonderful destination." The potential of the province, with nine restaurants holding Michelin stars (Bardal, Skina, Blossom, José Carlos García, Sollo, Kaleja, Messina, Back, and Nintai) and a total of eleven stars (Bardal and Skina have two stars each), has been decisive for Málaga to surpass other candidacies. It is the ninth Spanish province with the most awarded restaurants, only behind Barcelona (36), Madrid (32), Girona (15), Alicante (13), Biscay (11), Asturias (11), Mallorca (10), and Valencia (10). Below remain Tarragona, La Coruña, and Tenerife, with eight each, and Cádiz and Huesca, with seven.

Michelin estimates that the impact of the gala is around thirty million euros in terms of visibility and media projection. Each year hundreds of people attend this event, to which all chefs with two and three stars are invited, as well as international chefs and journalists from across the country. The secrecy of the French guide about the awarded establishments is very high, although the sector often makes predictions that frequently turn out to be correct. The next gala, moreover, could represent the definitive coronation of Skina, the Marbella restaurant by Marcos Granda that in the last two editions has been a favorite to reach the three-star status, a recognition reserved only for sixteen restaurants.

Michelin awards these honors based on, they claim, the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of the flavors, the mastery of technique, the personality of the chef reflected in their cuisine, and, above all, the overall proposal. The inspectors who grant these awards feed the legend: they are full-time anonymous employees, generally former professionals from the restaurant industry who make decisions as a team after sharing their experiences.