Ana Roš among the world's top 10 chefs

Roš, who is the highest-ranked female chef on this year's list, has climbed 11 places from last year, according to The Best Chef Awards website.

It was Roš who first put Slovenia on the world's culinary map, after The World's Best Restaurants Academy awarded her the title of Best Female Chef in 2017. Last year, her restaurant was the first in the country to receive two Michelin stars.

Adding to Hiša Franko's success, Salopek, who has been with the Kobarid-based eatery since 2018, won the best chef pastry award for the year 2021.

Slovenian food blog Open Kitchen said Salopek was responsible for "several masterful elements of the Hiša Franko menu, especially the complex desserts."

The Best Chef Top 100 Award for the best chef in the world went to Dabiz Munoz, a Spanish chef from the restaurant DiverXo in Madrid.

Second place went to Björn Frantzen from Sweden, while Andoni Luis Aduriz from Spain was ranked third, making a huge jump from 45th place last year.

This year's list features chefs from 29 countries worldwide, out of which Spain performs best with 15 chefs on the list.

The Best Chef describes itself as "a vibrant, world community of passionate food lovers and a project dedicated to celebrating the many talented chefs that create the best food experiences around the world."

The winners of the Best Chef Awards are selected from a shortlist of 200 nominees, which include 100 "fresh faces" and the Top 100 from the previous year, who are automatically nominated again.

The "fresh faces" are selected through recommendations by food journalists, critics, bloggers, photographers and other notable people with a broad knowledge of fine dining.

The shortlist is announced every year at the end of April.