Hilario Arbelaitz

A drive through a green Basque valley very close to Oiartzun, just 20 km (12½ miles) from San Sebastián, once led the gourmet traveler to one of Spain's most highly-respected gastronomic shrines: Zuberoa. This celebrated restaurant was, until its closure in December 2022, the refuge of Hilario Arbelaitz, a chef known for his preference to remain behind the scenes, dedicating himself to the kitchen. Hilario spent much of his time supervising the staff, ensuring excellence in every dish, and being available to answer customers’ questions.

Despite Zuberoa’s prestigious Michelin star, Hilario avoided gastronomic congresses and media appearances. During his career, he reluctantly traveled to Madrid every Wednesday to advise the El Bodegón restaurant, taking advantage of Zuberoa’s weekly closure, but he disliked being away from his beloved establishment.

A true love for traditional cuisine

Hilario is one of those cooks who started experimenting alongside his mother, from whom he inherited his love of traditional recipes and, above all, of prime-quality ingredients. But he decided to go a step further and take advantage of the synergies created in the New Basque Cuisine (Nueva Cocina Vasca ) group back in the 1970s and early 1980s. Hilario and his colleague Martín Berasategui followed the trail laid by Subijana and Arzak , and created new ways of expressing traditional dishes.

Arbelaitz set up operations in the oldest farmhouse in the Oiartzun valley, almost six centuries old, and turned it into a culinary mecca. The extensive menu at his restaurant, which was updated regularly, allows customers to choose from a selection of dishes featuring classic ingredients, such as hake, salt cod, bonito, veal cheeks, and pigeon. His cheesecake remains as a milestone for the following generations. His dishes had plain names, without any fancy descriptions, offering only flavor and aromas, careful preparation and guaranteed enjoyment. Sophistication appeared on the palate, not in groundbreaking presentations.

He offered food that showed clearly how the taste memory can be recovered and the importance of tradition, in combination with the updating that is necessary to ensure the recipes never die out. Gastronomy at its purest. Hilario liked to cook with his hands, at the stove, using techniques for a reason, not out of habit or to follow trends. In the prologue to his book Foie Gras, Andoni Luis Aduriz paid homage to Hilario, calling him a maestro and declaring, “Hilario has been cooking for many, many years at Zuberoa, like no one else does anymore in this old country. In silence.”

Hilario Arbelaitz spent decades perfecting his craft at Zuberoa, making it a cornerstone of Basque gastronomy. Though the restaurant closed in 2022 with his retirement, its legacy endures as a testament to his dedication and skill. The food writer for the International Herald Tribune, Patricia Wells, described her impressions after eating at one of the Zuberoa tables. "I can't imagine anyone feeling unhappy in this restaurant".