Javier Trejos wins the BBVA Chef Experience student contest, wins trip to Spain for meal at El Celler de Can Roca

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Javier Trejos has been named the BBVA Chef Experience student contest winner, part of the bank's Lexus All-Star Chef Classic involvement.

With the win, Philadelphia-based Trejos will jet to Girona, Spain, where he will enjoy an all-expenses-paid, once-in-a-lifetime trip and meal from one of the world's best restaurants, El Celler de Can Roca. Trejos also attended the BBVA Spanish Masters Dinner at the Lexus All-Star Chef Classic in Los Angeles on Oct. 3.

Trejos, a food hobbyist, won the award by submitting an original photo of a self-made paella and describing a life moment involving the dish, as per the contest's criteria.

"BBVA's brand promise of creating opportunities extends beyond banking, including the culinary arts," said BBVA USA California CEO Everett Orrick. "When we sponsor a major event, we always make an effort to put forth a community component to that sponsorship. I want to congratulate Javier on his win and his beautiful ability to describe how his life has been impacted by the food that brings his family together."

Trejos, the owner of Eagles Industrial Services, an industrial insulation, paint and scaffolding business, is an avid food lover. In his winning submission, he described how making paella with his family is an inclusive experience in which the whole family can participate.

"Paella is our favorite dish to make together," Trejos stated. "There's always a step that someone can be included in no matter their age."

BBVA and AEG teamed up to develop the Chef Experience contest, a component of the bank's Spanish Masters Dinner sponsorship, to promote a world-class event partnership that extended beyond the bank's footprint. All contestants were judged by representatives from AEG, BBVA and the famous Roca brothers from El Celler de Can Roca.

The Roca brothers have been BBVA brand ambassadors for the past six years, and during that time have traveled across the globe with the bank to bring clients the atmosphere and innovation that has made their restaurant a culinary gold standard. El Celler de Can Roca, usually booked months in advance, was named the world's best restaurant in 2015, and has been in the top 3 for six of the past seven years by Restaurant magazine.

Known as the "holy trinity" of the culinary world, the brothers' restaurant has also obtained three Michelin Stars, an extremely rare and prestigious achievement for restaurants the world over. Joan serves as the head chef, Jordi is the establishment's pastry chef, and Josep is the sommelier.

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About BBVA

BBVA Group

BBVA BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market and is the largest financial institution in Mexico. It has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. It is also the leading shareholder in Turkey's BBVA Garanti. BBVA's purpose is to bring the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real needs: provide the best solutions, helping them make the best financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The institution rests in solid values: Customer comes first, we think big and we are one team. BBVA's responsible banking model aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society.

BBVA USA

In the U.S., BBVA is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 642 branches, including 330 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 45 in Florida, 37 in Colorado and 17 in New Mexico. The bank ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (6th). In the U.S., BBVA has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 8th nationally in terms of dollar volume of SBA loans originated in fiscal year 2018.

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SOURCE BBVA USA