At an awards gala in Madrid on September 18–20, the Top 100 chefs in the world were revealed. The recipients of the 2022 Best Chef awards include several renowned British chefs, as well as others who are based in London.
Unlike many other culinary honours, The Best Chef awards focus on chefs instead of restaurants or locations and are considered by some to be the Nobel Prize of gastronomy. The voting process involves 150 anonymous professionals, including food journalists, critics, bloggers, photographers and other notable people with a broad knowledge of fine dining, the Top 100 chefs of the previous year, and finally the Top 100 shortlisted candidates of the current year.
In 2022, the top honour went to Spain’s Dabiz Muñoz for the second year in a row. Muñoz is described as a “pioneering and creative adventurer” who has three Michelin stars and holds court at DiverXO in Madrid.
This year’s list is dominated by Spanish, French and Italian culinary masters, though does include chefs from all over the world. Compared to the previous year, UK chefs placed lower, with Clare Smyth of Core ranking highest at #35, down from #27 last year. The total number of UK chefs on the list, has increased to five (up by one), though it’s still short of 2020’s eight, the highest total since the awards’ inception in 2017. Here are all of the UK’s Best Chef award winners in 2022, along with their rank and base of operations:
- #35 – Clare Smyth (Core by Clare Smyth, London)
- #40 – Heston Blumenthal (Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London)
- #71 – Tristin Farmer (Zén, Singapore)
- #77 – Gareth Ward (Ynyshir, Wales)
- #91 – Jeremy Chan (Ikoyi, London)
Additionally, the British capital is blessed with restaurants by other recipients of the top honours, for example Hélène Darroze’s headquarters at The Connaught. Find the full list of the 2022 Best Chef award winners here, or watch the entire awards ceremony here.