SINGAPORE—France's Mirazur restaurant—whose Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco draws inspiration from the sea, the mountains, and his own garden—was crowned Tuesday the world's best by an influential trade list, beating contenders from Denmark and Spain.
The accolade came just months after Colagreco was handed a third Michelin star, and was the first time a French establishment has triumphed in the World's 50 Best Restaurant list.
"I'm in the sky and I'm waiting to come back here," Colagreco said as he collected his award for his restaurant in the French Riviera town of Menton. "I don't have words to explain," he said.
In second spot in the awards—which took place in Singapore, their first time in Asia—was Noma in Copenhagen and third was Asador Etxebarri in Spain.
Gaggan in Bangkok was fourth, the highest ranked Asian restaurant. Fifth was Geranium in Copenhagen, and sixth was Central in Lima, tagged as Best in South America.
The top restaurant award has gone to Spain 7 times, the most of any country. Last year Italy's Osteria Francescana took the number 1 spot.
Mirazur took the third spot in the awards last year.
'FEET ON THE GROUND'
After his victory was announced, Colagreco took to the stage joined by his Brazilian wife carrying a banner representing 4 flags—those of Argentina, Brazil, France and Italy.
"Thank you my team. You deserve it, all these years. Thank you friends for supporting us during these last 13 years," he said.
Colagreco is the only foreign chef to have been awarded 3 Michelin stars. He opened the restaurant in 2006 and was awarded his first star the following year, before getting his second in 2012.
The Argentine-born chef moved to France in 2001 and worked with Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard and Alain Ducasse before spending a year at Le Grand Vefour.
He said that he ended up in Menton by chance.
"The owner of the place was the perfect stereotype of an Englishman on the Cote d'Azur, a white linen outfit and a Panama hat," he told AFP in a recent interview.
"He saw that I had no money but he wanted to know what an Argentine was doing in Menton... He rented me his restaurant for a ridiculous sum."
This "gave me a lot of freedom" to experiment, he said.
The early days were tough but since being awarded the second star the restaurant has seen its popularity grow.
Menton, located in southeast France near the Italian border, offers dishes made with ingredients from Colagreco's own backyard farm, including fresh vegetables and seafood.
Despite his growing fame, Colagreco said that he wants to "keep his feet firmly on the ground."
FIRST TIME IN ASIA
For their first foray into Asia, award organizers picked Singapore, which is well-known for its buzzing culinary scene.
But Europe continued to dominate with 25 restaurants named in the best 50, including 7 in the top 10. Asia won 7, the United States 6, and Latin America 6.
The awards are organized by British magazine Restaurant, owned by William Reed Media.
They were launched in 2002 and are now as coveted as Michelin stars, although the methodology used to select the best restaurants has faced criticism, especially from several French chefs who say it remains unclear.
There are no criteria for putting a restaurant on the list, which is based on an anonymous poll of more than 1,000 chefs, restaurant owners, food critics and other industry insiders from around the world.
Each member gets 10 votes and at least 4 of those votes have to go to restaurants outside their region.
The event has been held before in Spain, London, New York and Melbourne.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LONDON - Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, who will play Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown", was honored by the monarch on Saturday for her services to British drama.
Colman, 45, was awarded the CBE by the sovereign to mark her 93rd birthday, which is officially celebrated in Britain on the second Saturday in June.
Colman headed a list of stars -- and everyday heroes -- made commanders (CBE), officers (OBE) or regular members (MBE) of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, the main order of chivalry.
"I'm totally thrilled, delighted and humbled to be in the company of these incredible people, most of whom have been nowhere near as visible as I have, but should be -- and hopefully now will be," she said.
Colman won this year's best actress Academy Award for her role as Queen Anne in "The Favourite" and will next portray Queen Elizabeth in season three of "The Crown".
Of playing the two, she said: "I find the harder is Queen Elizabeth because everyone knows what she looks like, everyone knows what she sounds like," she said.
"I am loving trying to play her."
GONG FOR GRYLLS
TV adventurer Bear Grylls, who also leads the Scouts in Britain, was made an OBE for his services to young people.
Author Lee Child, whose action hero Jack Reacher has been played on screen by Tom Cruise, received the CBE, as did fellow novelist Joanna Trollope.
Sarah Waters, famed for her raunchy novels featuring lesbian protagonists, including "Tipping The Velvet", was made an OBE.
In the world of music, singers Elvis Costello and Feargal Sharkey were both given the OBE, accepting establishment endorsements far from their punk roots.
Songwriter Mitch Murray received the CBE.
He penned UK number one hits including "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It" and "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde", along with US number ones "I'm Telling You Now" and "The Night Chicago Died".
In sport, there were CBEs for former Manchester United chief executive David Gill and Philip Brook, the outgoing chairman of the All England Club which hosts the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Tony Allcock, the 17-times world bowls champion, received the OBE.
Scotland cricket captain Kyle Coetzer, former marathon world record holder Steve Jones, and the reigning Women's British Open golf champion Georgia Hall were given the MBE.
SNACK SUPREMO KNIGHTED
Boyd Tunnock, 86, who in 1956 invented Scotland's cherished Tunnock's Teacake chocolate-coated marshmallow and biscuit snack, was knighted.
"I'll just have to make sure I live long enough to get used to it," the new Sir Boyd said.
Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry main business lobby group, was made a dame -- the female equivalent of a knighthood.
Comedian and presenter Griff Rhys Jones received an OBE.
The British honors system rewards individuals' bravery, service or achievement in their field.
Nimco Ali and Doctor Leyla Hussein, who were both victims of female genital mutilation as children, were given OBEs for their efforts in combating the practice.
Seven Holocaust survivors received the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to Holocaust education.
Some 1,073 people were on the birthday honors list, 75 percent of whom were rewarded for outstanding work in their local communities.
The oldest recipient was John Haymen, 100, while the youngest was 17-year-old Richard Collins. They both received the BEM for community services.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
DUBAI - A maths and physics teacher from a secondary school in a remote village in Kenya's Rift Valley has won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize for 2019, organizers have said.
Peter Tabichi, who organizers say gives away 80 percent of his monthly income to the poor, received the prize at a ceremony Saturday in Dubai hosted by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman.
"Every day in Africa we turn a new page and a new chapter... This prize does not recognize me but recognizes this great continent's young people. I am only here because of what my students have achieved," Tabichi said.
"This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that they can do anything," he added after beating nine finalists from around the world to claim the award.
The Dubai-based Varkey Foundation, which organizes the event and handed out the prize for the fifth time, praised Tabichi's "dedication, hard work and passionate belief in his students' talent".
All this combined, it said in a statement, "has led his poorly-resource school in remote rural Kenya to emerge victorious after taking on the country's best schools in national science competitions".
Tabichi, 36, teaches at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village, in a remote, semi-arid part of Kenya's Rift Valley, where drought and famine are frequent.
Around 95 percent of the school's pupils "hail from poor families, almost a third are orphans or have only one parent, and many go without food at home," the statement added.
"Drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, dropping out early from school, young marriages and suicide are common."
To get to school, some students have to walk 7 kilometers (4 miles) along roads that become impassable during the rainy season.
The school, with a student-teacher ration of 58 to 1, has only one desktop computer for the pupils and poor internet, but despite that Tabichi "uses ICT in 80 percent of his lessons to engage students", the foundation said.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta congratulated Tabichi in a video message, saying "your story is the story of Africa, a young continent bursting with talent".
source: news.abs-cbn.com
