The organisation behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The World’s 50 Best Bars today unveils the first edition of 50 Next, a list of young people shaping the future of gastronomy. Designed to inspire, empower and connect the next generation of leaders, 50 Next celebrates people aged 35 and under from across the wider food and drink scene, from producers and educators to tech creators and activists. This year’s virtual announcement will be followed in 2022 with a live event in the region of Biscay, Spain, the official Host Destination Partner to 50 Next, once travel restrictions are eased.
A list but not a ranking, 50 Next specifically celebrates people, complementing the annual rankings of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Bars. It was formed through robust research and analysis by 50 Next in partnership with the internationally renowned Basque Culinary Center.
William Drew, Director of Content for 50 Best, says: “At a time of much-needed global recovery, the 50 Next initiative promotes positive, sustainable and visionary thinking. By bringing together this truly diverse list of young people we are providing a platform for those fighting for a brighter future for gastronomy.”
The inaugural list aims to represent the diversity of the global gastronomic scene, featuring people from 34 different countries across six continents. Delving into the wider meaning of gastronomy, 50 Next is divided into seven industry-led categories: Gamechanging Producers; Tech Disruptors; Empowering Educators; Entrepreneurial Creatives; Science Innovators; Hospitality Pioneers (supported by S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy) and Trailblazing Activists. Each category is unranked and comprises a broad spectrum of professions, with those on the list recognised for their overall contribution to the gastronomic ecosystem, as well as their ongoing potential to drive significant positive change.
The class of 2021 includes ground-breaking Australian fish butcher Josh Niland, progressive agriculture advocate Cherrie Atilano from the Philippines, Ghanaian tech innovator Isaac Sesi, Mexican indigenous pioneer Claudia Albertina Ruiz and Jhannel Tomlinson, a Jamaican climate-change champion who empowers women through coffee. The youngest on the list is 20-year-old Basque medical student Maitane Alonso Monasterio, who has invented a machine to help preserve food.
