Local Spanish cuisine chefs at Casa Paella have received an award in recognition of their contribution to authentic Valencian dishes in Sueca, Spain in September.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Edrick Corban-Banks is the head chef at Casa Paella, he received the award for establishing a paella competition in Australia.
“It's the highest honour, it's presented at a lunch of about 800 people with some of the top Valencian restaraunts,” Corban-Banks said.
He believes the award is a meaningful celebration of Valencian cuisine around the world.
The awards have been held in Spain for 58 years and are considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in the country.
The national contest established by Corban-Banks initially took place in Sydney, however he moved it to Tasmania.
According to Corban-Banks, there is only one ‘authentic’ paella recipe in the world.
“We have every ingredient we need to be able to cook the authentic Paella Valenciana recipe [in Tasmania],” he said.
Corban-Banks continued to highlight the quality of saffron, paprika and olive oil industries in the state, all of which are key ingredients for an authentic paella dish.
The contest has been held at Goaty Hill Wines as well as Josef Chromy Vineyard.
Corban-Banks said Valencian chefs were very eager to come to Tasmania and knew about the state’s richness in fresh ingredients.
“They didn't know anything about [mainland] Australia,” he said.
“They've heard of Tasmania and the produce and they were fighting to come out here.”
While you're with us, did you know that you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates and daily headlines direct to your inbox. Sign up here.