Miguel de La Fuente, from the InterContinental's El Jardín restaurant, winner of the WOOE Challenge

Last Tuesday, the International Olive Oil Fair hosted the “Desafío WOOE Junta de Andalucía”, the live cooking contest that rewards the best dish, based on its creativity and the use of extra virgin olive oil in its preparation. In this case, a mazamorra was the main dish, for which the contestants had to use Andalusian AOVES and vinegars from the Montilla-Moriles DO.

The winner, who was awarded €1500 and a specialisation course in Wines and Vinegars from the Montilla-Moriles DO, was Miguel de La Fuente, from the restaurant El Jardín del InterContinental (Hotel Intercontinental). The chef has conquered the jury with a ‘Mar Mazamorra’ that integrates seafood and smoked products, playing with textures and flavours that have surprised all the judges.

The jury was made up of Eva Millán, ex-master chef and ambassador of the WOOE; the gastronomic journalist Carmelo Aunion; José Manuel Gaztelu, member of the Andalusian Academy of Gastronomy and Daniel Larios, winner chef of the 2023 edition of the WOOE Junta de Andalucía Challenge.

The chef and presenter Juan Pozuelo was once again in charge of directing the competition and highlighted the creativity and technique of the participants. ‘Mazamorra is a dish with history, and to see how the chefs have innovated without losing the essence has been impressive’, he said at the end of the competition.

Second prize went to Óscar David Victoriano, from the Joshef Arias Group, with a Latin-style version of mazamorra, fusing traditional Andalusian ingredients with hints of Peruvian cuisine.

The runner-up prize went to Rocío Maya, whose proposal stood out for its originality and technical execution, bringing a fresh and modern twist to the classic Cordovan mazamorra recipe.

The standard of the competition was exceptional, reflecting the gastronomic richness and culinary talent that characterises Andalusia.

Andalusia at the WOOE

Andalusia had an important presence at this edition of the WOOE not only with its impressive Junta de Andalucía stand but also with various activities.

The paired tasting Aceites Jaén selection 2025: the symphony of the senses. A tasting with gastronomic pairing, presented by María Dolores Jaén Cañadas, director of Laboratorios Higea and Tasted Room tasting school.

Another highly applauded tasting was the one featuring olives from Seville, led by Rosario Acosta Mateos, secretary general of the Regulatory Council of the IGP Aceituna Gordal de Sevilla.

The sector expert Manuel Parras, president of the IGP Aceite de Jaén Regulatory Council, led the conference “Strategies for differentiation in the olive oil market: from tradition to innovation”.

The talk held between the young chefs from Jaén, all of them with Michelin stars, was also very popular: Javier Jurado Ruíz, Restaurante Malak; Juan José Mesa León (Restaurante Radis); Ignacio Montes González (Restaurante Pabú), Juan Carlos García Garrido (Restaurante Vandelvira).