Demand, passion and a great deal of creativity. These three words could perfectly define the cuisine of Paco Pérez. This culinary genius currently has 5 Michelin stars spread over 3 restaurants: Miramar (Llançà), Enoteca Hotel Arts (Barcelona) and Cinco Hotel Das Stue (Berlin).
Apart from the three star-awarded restaurants, he also runs the kitchens of four more locations with very different concepts in Barcelona: The Royale Burger Bcn, the Eggs, the Black Bcn and the Doble. As if that were not enough, this summer he is opening a second restaurant on the Costa Brava in the Hotel Alabriga in S’Agaró.
The chef has a surprising imaginative capacity and is obsessed with perfection. Paco Pérez cannot be understood without knowing everything that surrounds him. The Miramar is the epicentre of his cuisine – where he lives, where he creates and where he grows day by day. The restaurant is in Llançà, a coastal town near the Cap de Creus, where the seafaring tradition and the rugged natural surroundings play a very important part. His relationship with the sea is a constant in many of his dishes, all from a different dimension and with a brilliant creative capacity with which he succeeds in thrilling his customers.
Demand, passion and a great deal of creativity. These three words could perfectly define the cuisine of Paco Pérez. This culinary genius currently has 5 Michelin stars spread over 3 restaurants: Miramar (Llançà), Enoteca Hotel Arts (Barcelona) and Cinco Hotel Das Stue (Berlin).
Apart from the three star-awarded restaurants, he also runs the kitchens of four more locations with very different concepts in Barcelona: The Royale Burger Bcn, the Eggs, the Black Bcn and the Doble. As if that were not enough, this summer he is opening a second restaurant on the Costa Brava in the Hotel Alabriga in S’Agaró.
The chef has a surprising imaginative capacity and is obsessed with perfection. Paco Pérez cannot be understood without knowing everything that surrounds him. The Miramar is the epicentre of his cuisine – where he lives, where he creates and where he grows day by day. The restaurant is in Llançà, a coastal town near the Cap de Creus, where the seafaring tradition and the rugged natural surroundings play a very important part. His relationship with the sea is a constant in many of his dishes, all from a different dimension and with a brilliant creative capacity with which he succeeds in thrilling his customers.
How do you manage to do everything and make it all work?
That’s a good question. What I do is try to make us natural, I have an unbeatable team. In all our establishments there are people who have been working with us for years, they know us and they know how we work, which is very important. We would be nothing today if it weren’t for the people who share this path with us.
Do 5 stars bring a lot of pressure when creating new dishes?
No, pressure makes us want to improve everything we do every day, that’s why we are at home trying to improve what we give the people who visit us daily. Although, having the luxury of earning this recognition from Michelin obviously always brings pressure, because people come with pre-formed expectations.
Who is the first person to sample some of your new dishes?
Always me.
And the second?
The whole R&D team and Montse Serra, who has a very refined palate.
Your cooking has been defined as progressive, avant garde haute cuisine. How does this translate for Paco Pérez?
It translates as cooking that reflects the way we are, how we think and how we do things. We try to incorporate these dreams we have into a dish, into food. Everything is done following this idea.
What role do emotions and sensations play when it comes to enjoying your cooking?
I think it’s really important. In a restaurant like ours, you have to have an open mind, because I think we are doing emotional cooking.
Which comment made by a customer leaving the restaurant have you never forgotten?
I’d say the last one, because it’s very emotional. It was made by a girl from Galicia who lives in London and came specially to eat in our restaurant. We have three menu sequences, and we offered her the one called “sea”. After eating the sea menu she came into the kitchen almost in tears… Imagine how emotional she was! It reminded her of her childhood in Galicia collecting sea urchins. This is very nice.
Is the Miramar the epicentre of everything and will it continue that way?
It’s obviously our home and our soul, our passion and our life.
What is ever-present in a Miramar tasting menu?
The sea produce.
What’s your favourite dish?
Any of the dishes we make is my favourite.
What do you feel when you see that there are people who travel many miles and come from other countries to enjoy your cooking?
There’s no way to pay that back.
What does being in a unique setting like the Costa Brava represent for Miramar?
I think our region is a paradise. Being able to experience this light, these aromas, this peace……is priceless. We’re in a paradise.
What do you think having a restaurant like Miramar represents for the Costa Brava’s standing?
I don’t know. I think people should make up their own minds. For us, it represents our life reflected in an act like cooking.
El Celler, El Bulli, you… Is so much talent concentrated in a few square miles a coincidence?
I think El Bulli has been the most important movement there has been in the entire history of cooking and it happened at Cala Montjoi with amazing people. Obviously there must be something to it, even if Ferran says otherwise.
What’s your favourite spot on the Costa Brava?
Cap de Creus
Do you have any new projects in mind?
