The Provincial Council appoints the selection jury for the Jaén Paraíso Interior award

The Provincial Council of Jaén has appointed the seven members of the jury for the selection phase of the XXIII edition of the “Jaén Paraíso Interior” International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cooking Award. The appointment is formalized through Resolution number 276, of September 21, 2026, issued by the Deputy for Promotion and Tourism, Francisco Javier Lozano Blanco. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén number 184, of September 22, 2026, within the Local Administration section (reference 2026/4414).

The announcement complies with the section of the rules dedicated to juries, which entrusts the President of the Council with establishing the identity of the members of each of the two phases of the competition via a resolution published in the BOP at least five days prior to the holding of each phase. The rules for this twenty-third edition were approved by Resolution number 238, of July 8, 2026, by the Deputy Delegate of the Promotion and Tourism Area, an extract of which was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén number 133, of July 13, 2026.

The resolution is issued under article 34.1 o) of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of Local Regime, and article 61.25 of Royal Decree 2568/1986, which approves the Regulation of Organization, Operation, and Legal Regime of Local Entities. The file is processed in the Promotion and Tourism Area of the provincial institution.

Composition of the jury

The body consists of seven members, including the presidency and secretariat:

• Francisco Javier Lozano Blanco, Deputy Delegate of the Promotion and Tourism Area, acting as President of the Jury.
• Ferrán Polls Pelaz, chef of Restaurant Solo (Almería, Spain) and winner of the XXII edition of the competition.
• Paco Roncero Fernández, chef of Restaurant Paco Roncero (Madrid).
• Francis Paniego Sánchez, chef of Restaurant Portal de Echaurren, in Ezcaray (La Rioja).
• Mitxel Ezquiaga Ganuzas, gastronomy journalist for Diario Vasco and writer.
• Alberto Granados Martínez, gastronomy journalist and writer.
• Vicente López López, technician of the Promotion and Tourism Area, serving as Secretary of the Jury.

Reference chefs and specialized journalists

The roster combines chefs of recognized national prestige with gastronomic journalists and technical staff from the Council itself. The presence of Ferrán Polls Pelaz, winner of the previous edition, introduces the perspective of the most recent award winner into the selection jury.

The jury is entrusted with the selection and proposal of the contest winners, as set out in the rules approved in July. The resolution published now corresponds solely to the selection phase; the identity of the members of the second phase must be established by resolution of the President of the Provincial Council and published in the BOP with the minimum required notice.

Publicity of the agreement

The second resolution of Resolution number 276 orders the publication of the agreement both in the Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén and on the website of the Provincial Council of Jaén, for general knowledge. The text appears signed in Jaén on September 21, 2026, by the Delegate Deputy for Promotion and Tourism, with the exception of the delegation approved by Resolution number 261, of June 9, 2026.

The award is thus consolidated as one of the main promotion tools for extra virgin olive oil from Jaén, by linking high-level gastronomy with the oil production of the province. The composition of the selection jury marks the effective start of the twenty-third edition and anticipates the calendar of a contest with international projection.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Jaén, no. 184, of September 22, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 14019-14020 (official reference: 2026/4414).