Who is the Cuban-born Basque chef who was one of the founding members of the New Basque Cuisine and is known as the teacher of Michelin-star chefs Pedro Subijana and Ramon Roteta?
He was born in 1930 in Havana, Cuba, to a Basque family. When he was four, the family returned to their hometown in San Sebastian, Spain.
There, his mother and aunts ran a restaurant in a traditional farmhouse on the slopes leading up to the emblematic Monte Iguedo, and it was there that he learned to love cooking. He then trained at the kitchen of the city’s top hotel, Maria Christina, then tried his hand abroad in the United Kingdom and France.
In 1967, he returned to the Basque country to set up the region’s first catering school in the Euromar Hotel in Zarauz, a seaside town about 18 miles from San Sebastian.
That was where he started teaching, and his pupils included great chefs such as Pedro Subijana, TV star Karlos Arquinano, Ramon Rotera, and one of the local experts in miniature cuisine, Jose Ramon Elizondo.
During this period, he became one of the leaders of the phenomenon that came to be known as New Basque Cuisine. Together with Juanmari Arzak and Pedro Subijana, among others, they revolutionized Basque kitchens, refreshing Basque culinary traditions, and giving them a new lease on life.
All this was under the influence of French Nouvelle cuisine, and this pioneering movement was the germ of what was to happen in the rest of Spain 20 years later with the gastronomic avant-garde led by Ferran Adria.
A subsequent career opportunity took him to Madrid, where for years he maintained an excellent reputations as manager of Hotel Alcala and his eponymous restaurant.
After a decade away from home, he returned to reconnect with his roots and set up a school now being run by his daughters. Today, he works as an adviser to the school and participates in gastronomic events in Europe, the US, Canada, and Mexico.
He has received many awards in both national and international competitions and is an honorary member of several gastronomic associations.
In 1992, the town of San Sebastian awarded him the Gold Drum for promoting the city and Basque cuisine around the world. In 2007, he received a special tribute from chefs and students at his school, and Basque food writers for his contribution to the development and prestige of Basque cuisine.
Last week’s question: Who is the renowned Danish furniture designer who designed 500 iconic chairs like the Wishbone Chair and Peacock Chair during his lifetime?
Answer: Hans Wegner
Winner: Rodnie Jara of Pandi, Bulacan
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