El chef David Lorente gana DesTAPA las Legumbres 2025

May 3, 2025

Castilla y León |
Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development

Chef David Lorente, from the Zaragoza restaurant Nola Gras, became the champion of the II National Championship ‘Uncover the Legumes’ Tierra de Sabor with his proposal ‘Ramensillo’. The podium of honor was completed by Miguel Espinosa, from El Albergue de Calahorra (La Rioja), with his proposal ‘La Alforja’, and Alberto Montes, from Atrio in Cáceres, with the tapa ‘Tierra de Sabor’.

The grand final, held at the International Cooking School in Valladolid and hosted by the popular journalist and radio and television host Goyo González, featured the participation of the best creators of legume tapas from each Autonomous Community in the country. The event welcomed the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development, Jorge Llorente, who expressed his «enthusiasm and satisfaction for giving deserved prominence to an essential product, whose modesty and dietary habit in the winter season have delayed its extraordinary agricultural and culinary merits in any season, through a cutting-edge gastronomic challenge.»

The representatives of each Autonomous Community showcased their creativity in cooking by preparing and presenting their tapas to a professional jury. After tasting each of the finalist tapas, presented by their authors, the jury deliberated to select the winner of the competition, along with the second and third-place winners and the awardees in the other two categories.

Expert Jury

For this second edition, the jury was composed of five professionals specializing in gastronomy, agriculture, and communication.

Chaired by the chef-entrepreneur Samantha Vallejo-Nágera, dynamic participant in the Master Chef TV sessions and chef-owner of the Casa Taberna restaurant in Pedraza (Segovia), the jury also included renowned figures in gastronomy Jesús Santamaría, president of the Pintxo Donostiarra Institute and director of the Bokado Group in Guipúzcoa; Iván Cadenas, a Castilla y León farmer specializing in legumes and CEO of Triticum Agro; Carla Royo-Villanova, journalist specialized in travel and gastronomy; and Teo Rodríguez, chef of the Trasto restaurant in Valladolid and current World Champion of Pinchos and Tapas.

The jury evaluated each proposal considering flavor, originality, technical skill, presentation, commercial application, and, of course, the starring role of the legumes. An emphasis on innovation and local produce that managed to surprise.

National Champion

The first place in the II National Championship ‘Uncover the Legumes’ Tierra de Sabor went to David Lorente Blasco, from the Nola Gras restaurant in Zaragoza (Aragón), for his tapa ‘Ramensillo’. The trophy accrediting him as the Champion of Spain and the €4,000 check were presented by Rafael Sáez, Director General of ITACyL, alongside the jury president, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera.

‘Ramensillo’ features chickpea noodles from Pedrosillo MG, in a miso broth of Teruel ham, with Pyrenean trout roe, borage brunoise, slow-cooked egg yolk, and gochugaru chili oil. According to chef David Lorente, «a traditional ramen that fuses the legumes of Castilla y León with the pantry provided by his community’s products and the innovative gastronomy of Japan.»

Runner-up

The second place and runner-up went to Miguel Espinosa Ciordia, from El Albergue restaurant in Calahorra (La Rioja), for his tapa ‘La Alforja’, where the La Bañeza-León IGP bean was the star. The trophy accrediting him as the Runner-up of Spain and a €2,000 check were presented by the President of the Jury, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera.

‘La Alforja’ refers to the gathering of legumes along with the collection of firewood for family kitchens, using the only means of transportation of yesteryear, the donkey. The recipe consists of white beans from La Bañeza-León IGP, with cod. The bags used to transport the legumes are made of edible paper. It is a tapa with a taste of tradition and culinary innovation.

Third Place

The third place was awarded to Alberto Montes Pereira, from Atrio restaurant in Cáceres, for his tapa ‘Tierra de Sabor’. The trophy accrediting him as the third-place winner and a €1,000 check were presented by Cipriano García Domínguez, Director General of Caja Rural de Zamora.

The Pedrosillo MG chickpea was the star in the ‘Tierra de Sabor’ tapa, where its virtues were highlighted: a crispy chickpea flour, fried chickpeas, chickpea tempura, sprouts of the chickpea itself, and, finally, a liquid surprise: the traditional Indian stew called «Chana Masala» transformed into a spiced emulsion.

Timeless Tapa

The special recognition for the ‘Timeless Tapa’ went to Mónica Calderón Cruz, from La Pradera restaurant in Cantabria, for her tapa ‘Cocido Montañés a Nuestra Manera’, where the La Bañeza-León IGP bean stood out.

Most Avant-garde Tapa

The special recognition for the ‘Most Avant-garde Tapa’ went to Aitor Martínez Ros, from Can Ros Restaurante in Burriana (Valencian Community), for his tapa ‘Vaya Lentejas Tronco’, where the Lenteja de Tierra de Campos IGP was highlighted.

The closing of the second Spain Legumes Championship ‘Uncover the Legumes’, prior to the gastronomic celebration for the authorities and attending public, was led by the President of the Jury, Samanta Vallejo-Nágera, who expressed her «satisfaction with the experience lived and congratulations to the participants for taking on an uncommon gastronomic challenge.»

Meanwhile, Rafael Sáez, Director of the Technological Agrarian Institute of the Junta de Castilla y León, praised «the development of the Championship, the generosity of the sponsors who understood its scope, and the significance of the products from the quality brand Tierra de Sabor, which have sparked a magnificent response from kitchen professionals in all the Communities of the country by using them in their gastronomic proposals.»

Legumes

Recognized by the FAO as a key product for sustainable nutrition, legumes are rich in fiber, iron, and plant proteins, and are associated with the most environmentally friendly agriculture due to their nitrates content and low water consumption.

In this second edition of the championship, legumes with the Tierra de Sabor quality seal, such as Judías del Barco de Ávila (IGP), Alubias de La Bañeza (IGP), Lentejas de La Armuña (IGP), Lentejas de Tierra de Campos (IGP), Garbanzos de Fuentesauco (IGP), Garbanzos de Pedrosillo (MG), Garbanzos de Valseca (MG), and Judiones de la Granja (MG), will be the stars of the tapas in competition.

With ‘Uncover the Legumes’, Spanish gastronomy continues to bet on culinary innovation, positioning legumes in the universe of gastronomic creativity, and reaffirming their role as a gourmet product with great versatility.