The role of women in the kitchen has always been a story of light and shadow. Light, because since time immemorial, women have starred in great chapters of culinary history, but also shadow, because they have almost always been relegated to the domestic sphere. They, the mothers and grandmothers, have been responsible for maintaining the gastronomic heritage, the creators of recipes that have passed from generation to generation. However, in haute cuisine, in the cuisine of recognitions and stars, female chefs are much fewer. A curious fact: in Catalonia, there is only one restaurant led by women with a Michelin star: Les Cols by Fina Puigdevall and Martina Puigvert.
And it is that, more and more chefs are working for and to achieve parity. A deserved equality, not a forced one. Many predict that new generations will live in a more balanced parity. But until that moment arrives, they are still few. Even in a city like Barcelona, it is difficult to find restaurants led by women.
That is why, on the eve of the celebration of International Women's Day, we at Baco y Boca want to recognize the work of four women who "command" in their professional kitchens in their respective restaurants in Barcelona. They are the bosses.
La Gormanda, Cartola Claver
Carlota Claver (Barcelona, 1980) is one of the Barcelona chefs who leads the gastronomic female movement, asserting the important role of women in the kitchen. Raised among pots and stoves (first in her own home and from the age of 15 in the family restaurant Alba París), Carlota leads the kitchen of La Gormanda restaurant, after having been nurtured in the family kitchens of the Alba group.
While very young, she decided to take her first steps as a head chef, first at La Carlota, and finally, in her own project (which she runs with her partner Ignasi Céspedes). At La Gormanda, Carlota pampers the product, caresses avant-garde cuisine, but always with a respectful eye towards tradition. Her cuisine is very technical, with touches of modernity and some (scarce) exotic and distant ingredients. But what stands out most is her naturalness, her absolute respect for local products and her search for a healthy gastronomic offer. "Cooking is an act of love," emphasizes the chef. And with this, she sums it all up.
Mother of two girls, she feels she is the heir of the other two most important women in her life: her mother Aurora, and her grandmother Victòria. She pays homage to them with some dishes, and she owes much to them, as she also owes a lot to the Escola d'Hosteleria Hofmann in Barcelona, where she trained professionally. "It is increasingly difficult to define oneself, with all the influences that surround us… but what I can say is that I make a cuisine of our roots, recovering and trusting in all the recipes that identify our grandmothers and our family," confesses the chef.
La Gormanda. C/ d'Aribau, 160, Barcelona.
Semproniana, Ada Parellada
Ada Parellada (Granollers, 1967) intrepid, tireless, restless and multidisciplinary, is a restaurateur of lineage who has known how to safeguard and more than renew the good reputation of her saga. The youngest of eight siblings from the mythical Fonda Europa in Granollers, run by her family since 1771, she grew up among pots and pans and customers. She learned the basics of the trade at home, but also Tourism and Law, and at 25 she launched herself into the market alone with Semproniana, an eclectic establishment in terms of decoration and where Catalan cuisine shows off its best. A homemade recipe book but with that modern and rock 'n' roll touch that so defines the chef. Local produce and zero-waste cooking that is reflected in dishes such as rabbit with chocolate, "cap i pota" with chickpeas, macaroni stuffed with blood sausage, cod with honey and rosemary or surf and turf meatballs.
With its 30th anniversary recently celebrated, Semproniana continues to be a benchmark in Barcelona. The key to this success, undoubtedly its alma mater. And that is, Ada Parellada is not only in charge of the stoves, she directs and controls every detail, every need, every product that enters the kitchen, every dish that is served... A self-confessed hyperactive, the chef also finds time to champion such relevant crusades as the fight against food waste, healthy children's eating or the dissemination of cooking beyond professional kitchens.
Semproniana. C/ Rosselló, 148, Barcelona.
Ca l'Isidre, Núria Gironès
The Catalan chef Núria Gironès (Barcelona, 1968) is the eldest of the four daughters of Isidre Gironès and Montserrat, founders of the legendary restaurant Ca l'Isidre, one of the most renowned eateries in the city. Founded in 1970 near Paralelo, Ca l'Isidre has been for decades a temple of high-quality product cuisine. Isidre spent his entire life repeating a healthy habit: going every morning to La Boqueria to select the best of the best. A practice that his daughter has known how to inherit.
"It was always my dream," Núria confesses openly every time she talks about the past. Because even as a young woman, she combined her studies in Hotel Management with work in the kitchen and pastry shop at her parents' restaurant. An establishment she has managed and directed since 2017. Since then, the chef has managed to win over new, younger and more cosmopolitan clients with her technically perfect proposals. Dishes of today but with a view to tradition, such as her legendary Lamb Brains with Black Butter and Capers or the succulent Ca l'Isidre Tripe with Chorizo and Chickpeas. Specialties among which some unique delicacies sneak in, such as grilled Blanes sea cucumbers or sautéed baby octopuses.
Ca l'Isidre. C/ De Les flors, 12, Barcelona.
Teresa Carles and Flax & Kalee, Teresa Carles
Teresa Carles Borrás (Algerri, Lleida, 1958) was born and raised in a humble family of farmers. Already in her childhood, she forged her passion for local products, for vegetables, olive oil, cereals… Ingredients that have been the protagonists of her cuisine for decades. Her entry, in fact, into professional cooking was motivated by a clear objective: to use the best products from her family's lands to create recipes as tasty as those of her grandmothers and her mother, but even healthier and more natural. The desire to learn more led her to travel through Europe and the US, analyzing the different variants of vegetarian food.
This is how she was inspired to open her own restaurant, first in Lleida and later in Barcelona. She names and leads the pioneering vegetarian restaurant in Barcelona, today a benchmark and mother house of the Teresa Carles and Flax&Kale restaurant group, pilgrimage centers for those seeking good quality, a trendy atmosphere, and plant-based and flexitarian cuisine at a very good price.
Her philosophy is to design dishes thinking not only about mere gastronomic pleasure, but also about their nutritional value. Thus, for example, at Flax & Kale, 80% of its offer is Plant-Based and the remaining 20% are recipes that include oily fish. And in its claim, it makes it clear: "We want to feed you better so that you are happier and live longer with an optimal state of health. Welcome to the fascinating world of Tasty + Healthy + Sustainable food!"
Teresa Carles. C/Jovellanos, 2, Barcelona.
Curious facts about the role of women in the Michelin Guide
- About 10% of Spanish establishments distinguished by the Michelin Guide are led by a woman, and yet, they represent 50% of employees in the gastronomic field.
- Marie Bourgeoise and Eugénie Brazier were the first chefs in history to receive three Michelin stars. Since then, 88 years have passed and only 11 more women have achieved the highest award from the Red Guide.
- Elena Arzak was the first Spanish chef awarded with three stars; in addition, in 2012, she was declared the Best Chef in the World by 50 Best.
- Carme Ruscalleda was the chef with the most stars in the world, with a total of seven and being a great reference in gastronomy.
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