Martín Berasategui Olazábal is a Spanish chef expert in

Basque cuisine Basque cuisine refers to the cuisine of the Basque Country and includes meats and fish grilled over hot coals, '' marmitako'' and lamb stews, cod, Tolosa bean dishes, paprikas from Lekeitio, '' pintxos'' (Basque '' tapas)'', Idiazabal shee ...

and owner of an

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria (

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Since 2001 it has been awarded three

Michelin star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

s. He holds twelve stars in total, more than any other Spanish chef.

Biography

At the age of 14, Berasategui began to work in his parents' restaurant, Bodegón Alejandro. When Berasategui began his culinary career, there were no

restaurants in the Basque Country. He was sent to France to train as a pastry chef when he was 17. At the age of 20 he took over his parents' restaurant, and earned his first Michelin star there by the age of 25. Berasategui opened his eponymous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria (outside

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

) in 1993. It was awarded a third Michelin star in the 2001 ''Michelin Guide''. The restaurant was voted 29th- best restaurant in the world by ''

Restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

'' in both 2008 and 2011, the highest the restaurant has appeared on the list. As of 2013, he holds more Michelin stars than any other Spanish chef. In addition to his three at Restaurante Martín Berasategui, he holds three at Restaurante Lasarte in Barcelona and another two at M.B. in Tenerife (the largest of the Canary Islands). His restaurant M.B. in the Ritz Carlton Abama resort in Tenerife gained its first Michelin star in the 2010 guide. He most recently received one Michelin star for Oria, the sister restaurant of Lasarte that is also located in the Monument Hotel in Barcelona. In addition to his four Michelin-starred restaurants, he owns a further six around the world including two in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and one in Mexico, and is opening a further restaurant in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

in 2014. It was announced in 2013 that the François Rabelais University would be awarding an honorary doctorate to Berasategui in culinary studies. It is the first time that the university has awarded honorary doctorates to chefs, with Mikuni Kiyomi, Philippe Rochat and Pierre Wynants also receiving the awards.

Michelin-starred restaurants associated with Martín Berasategui and their highest rating

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berasategui, Martin Basque cuisine Molecular gastronomy Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants Living people 1960 births Spanish chefs Spanish expatriates in France People from San Sebastián Spanish gastronomes