Award
Bob Noto
Bob Noto
Before social media, before phones with cameras, before screens were filled with photos of a thousand dishes, Bob Noto – photographer, graphic designer and gourmet – has traced an alternative path to understanding food.
Defined by Ferran Adrià as the best palate in the world, introduced the world to great chefs through photographs that, first and best of all, represented the essence of the dishes against a white background.
This ability to capture the soul of food, with the palate and with the lens, and to represent its beauty in an artistic way, has made him a formidable in the discover talents, who are now the best chefs in the world, and a enlightened interlocutor and irreverent for the many chefs and food lovers who are indebted to him.
After his death in 2017, an entire community found itself lost.
Also for this reason, to collect many of those affections, in 2021 Bob's wife, Antonella Fassio, established a partnership with the creators of Buonissima international award dedicated to him.
The prize
Each year, the Bob Noto Award, presented during the Buonissima event to commemorate Bob Noto and his visionary spirit, honors an individual who embodies one of the traits and values that distinguished his multifaceted personality in the world of gastronomy. The theme is chosen every year by Antonella Fassio, the winner decreed by the jury of which she is president.
The jury:
- Antonella Fassio, President
- Ferran Adria, chef
- Marco Bolasco, journalist
- Paul Griffa, chef
- Sara Peirone, representing Lavazza with whom Bob has collaborated extensively
- Matteo Baronetto, artistic director and creator of Buonissima
- Stephen Cavallito, artistic director and creator of Buonissima
- Luca Iaccarino, artistic director and creator of Buonissima
Alain Passard
The winner of the 2025 Bob Noto Award is Alain Passard, three-starred chef of the famous L'Arpège restaurant in Paris.
In the 2025 edition, the theme of the award was “talent”—pure, without adjectives.
The Jury awarded Alain Passard because he perfectly embodies the importance that sensitivity, perseverance, talent and vision at the helm of a kitchen.
Alain Passard is not a slave to technique, he dialogues with the material, the colours and his personal emotions, managing to express its own editorial line in the era of globalization.
This chef's style and talent are unique, and politicians and high-finance figures sit at his table, as do curious young people and passionate gourmets who make pilgrimages to him, as he manages to embrace multiple generations of customers.
Talent is ageless, and Passard demonstrates that innovation is possible when, in addition to heart, you express character, perseverance, and love for what you do every day: staying in the kitchen.
The winners
Each year, the Bob Noto Award, presented during the Buonissima event to commemorate Bob Noto and his visionary spirit, honors an individual who embodies one of the traits and values that distinguished his multifaceted personality in the world of gastronomy. The theme is chosen every year by Antonella Fassio, the winner decreed by the jury of which she is president.
Themes and winners of past editions:
- 2021 – Theme “Irreverence”:
– Chef Awarded Andoni Luis Aduriz – Mugaritz
- 2022 – Theme “Irony”:
– Chefs awarded Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo – The Calandre - 2023 – Theme “Creativity”:
– Chef Awarded Rene Redzepi – Name - 2024 – Theme “Empathy”:
– The head waiter was awarded Mariella Organi – Madonna of the Fisherman - 2025 – Theme “Talent”:
– Chef Awarded Alain Passard – The Arpège -> Relive the awards ceremony
Past editions
