Carme Ruscalleda

The life and career of Carme Ruscalleda have been indelibly marked by the Catalonian town of Sant Pol de Mar, in the Maresme farming district on the Mediterranean shore. The events that have been turning-points in her life have always taken place in this small town, which has determined the spirit of her cuisine and the working philosophy she applies at her Sant Pau restaurant and refuge. Carme Ruscalleda has been one of only four women in the world to hold the highest distinction in the Michelin guide -nowadays she holds 2 Michelin stars for Moments restaurant (Barcelona), together with her son Raül Balam and one in Sant Pau Tokio-. Her career started out in a traditional food store and today has her running one of Spain’s most remarkable restaurants.

Cooking and family continued to go together when Carme and her husband Toni Balam took over the small food store previously run by her parents. Together they gradually converted it into a real delicatessen, selling products they made themselves such as top-quality pork products and jars of foie, as well as fruit and vegetables from nearby farms and local cheeses and wines. In this setting, with its freshly-made, quality food products, Ruscalleda put her creativity into practice, constantly finding new products with which to surprise her regular customers. But she soon felt the need for more space, a place where she could give free rein to the constant flow of gastronomic ideas in her head. And the opportunity came, in the late 1980s, when she was offered an old farmhouse with gardens and views over the Mediterranean sea, in the town she had never wanted to leave, her beloved Sant Pol de Mar. So in 1988 she opened up Sant Pau, her business, her home, her family and her life. Toni embarked with her on this culinary adventure which, almost two decades later, was to receive three Michelin stars. This recognition came for cuisine specializing in combinations of vegetables and fruits with fish or shellfish, capturing maximum freshness and all the taste of the local Catalonian produce.

A Landmark culinary trip to the East

Ruscalleda certainly stands out on the European gastronomic scene, but her star now shines also in the Far East. In one of those serendipitous moments that life occasionally brings, she received a curious offer from a Japanese customer at her Sant Pol restaurant to open up an exact replica, with the same type of cuisine, in Tokyo. She mulled over the idea at length, but finally took the plunge. In 2004, the doors opened in the Japanese capital, with very clear requirements on her part regarding the origin and quality of the raw materials used, and under the management of three young chefs trained by her.

In autumn 2009 the Carme Ruscalleda team took charge of the luxury restaurant in a new hotel, the Mandarin Oriental, in the central Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona, to be headed by Raúl, the chef's son, with the advisory services of his mother. This restaurant holds two Michelin stars.

In June 2018 Carme and her husband announced the closing of their epic restaurant on October 27, 2018, and the opening of new gastronomic adventures with the following words: “We’re not retiring! We are going to reinvent our professional commitments and broaden the trajectory, content and future of our “Cuina Estudi (kitchen study)” department. We are excited to tell you about this professional decision from a perspective of the past thirty years – a story of success and extraordinary experiences running Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar.” In 2023 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Barcelona because “of for her innovative approach and her dedication to preserving the essence of Catalan cuisine.”