José Pizarro on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
José Pizarro is a Spanish chef, restaurateur and writer. He runs José Pizarro Group, which currently includes six restaurants in the UK and one in Abu Dhabi. He has published six cookbooks and is a regular guest on TV shows and at festivals around the UK. Pizarro is often credited with making Spanish food popular in the country.
José Pizarro is a Spanish chef, restaurateur and writer. He runs José Pizarro Group, which currently includes six restaurants in the UK and one in Abu Dhabi. He has published six cookbooks and is a regular guest on TV shows and at festivals around the UK. Pizarro is often credited with making Spanish food popular in the country.
Early life
Originally from the village of Talaván in Cáceres, Extremadura, Pizarro grew up in a family of farmers and helped his parents produce vegetables, dairy products and different meats throughout his childhood. He trained as a dental technician and took a cookery course. While waiting for his first position to begin, Pizarro was offered work in a rotisserie kitchen in Cáceres, which kickstarted his career as a chef.Career
José Pizarro spent his early years training in some of the top restaurants in Spain before becoming Head Chef at Michelin-starred restaurant El Mesón de Doña Filo. In 1998, he decided to move to London despite not speaking any English and spent time working at some of the city's most prestigious Spanish restaurants including Eyre Brothers, Brindisa and Gaudi. In 2011, Pizarro opened his first solo venture, José Tapas Bar on Bermondsey Street, inspired by the tapas bars of Barcelona. In the same year, he opened his next venture, Pizarro Restaurant, also on Bermondsey Street. The restaurant went on to earn several accolades including Best Mediterranean Establishment at The Food Awards London, The Rosette Awards for Culinary Excellence, Food and Travel Magazine's Best Newcomer of the Year and Best Restaurant of the Year. Pizarro opened two further venues in London: José Pizarro at Broadgate Circle and pop-up restaurant Little José in Canary Wharf (now closed). His next venture was The Swan Inn in Esher, which he took over from fellow chefClaude Bosi
Claude Bosi (born 1972) is a French chef.
Claude's first Head Chef position was at Overton Grange in 1999.
He opened his first UK restaurant Hibiscus in the market town of Ludlow, Shropshire, in 2000 which was awarded two Michelin Stars in 2 ...
in 2019.
In August 2021, Pizarro opened two restaurants at the Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
. The two locations were created in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts and its creative catering and hospitality partner, Company of Cooks.
Pizarro opened Iris Zahara, a guest house in Zahara de Los Atunes, Andalusia, in 2022. The seaside property can host up to six guests at a time, who can join the chef and his partner Peter on food and travel experiences such as private wine and sherry trips, culinary tours and cookery experiences with Pizarro in his own kitchen.
In March 2023, Pizarro opened José by Pizarro, a restaurant inside the Conrad Hilton in Abu Dhabi. This was his first restaurant opening outside the UK.
Television and other media
A regular on the BBC’s '' Saturday Kitchen'', Pizarro has also appeared on '' Sunday Brunch'', ''Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose'', '' This Morning'', ''Rick Stein's Christmas'', Food Network’s ''The Big Eat'' and ''James Martin's Saturday Morning
''James Martin's Saturday Morning'' is a British television program aired on ITV presented by James Martin. On Saturday 28 May 2022, Martin presented the 200th episode of the show with special guests model David Gandy, comedian Johnny Vegas an ...
''.
Awards
* Chef of the Year – ''Food & Travel Magazine''Published works
* Pizarro, José (2009). ''Seasonal Spanish Food''. London: Kyle Books. ISBN 9780857830845 * Pizarro, José (2012). ''José Pizarro's'' ''Spanish Flavours''. London: Kyle Books. ISBN 9780857834560 * Pizarro, José (2016). ''Basque''. London: Hardie Grant. ISBN 9781784883683 * Pizarro, José (2017). ''Catalonia''. London: Hardie Grant. ISBN 9781784881160 * Pizarro, José (2019). ''Recipes from Andalusia''. London: Hardie Grant. ISBN 9781784886325 * Pizarro, José (2022). ''The Spanish Home Kitchen''. London: Hardie Grant. ISBN 9781784884475Personal life
José lives in London and Spain with his partner Dr Peter Meades and their two dogs, Conchi and Pie.References