Jesús Sánchez

Jesús Sánchez (Azagra, Navarra, 1964) defends his concept of Cantabrian gastronomy from an impressive vantage point: an 18th-century mansion just 20 minutes by car from Santander, the main city in this region in the north of Spain. The variety of Cantabrian cuisine stems from the diversity of local produce (mountain-bred cattle, seafood from the Bay of Biscay, home-grown vegetables, a wide range of cheeses and traditional patisserie), and this chef knows how to make the best of all this, adding his own personal creativity and the occasional surprise.

Sánchez was quick to discover his culinary vocation and soon left his home region to train at the Casa de Campo Hospitality and Tourism School in Madrid, from 1981 to 1984. He then worked at the Hotel Ritz in Madrid and spent periods at French restaurants such as Jacques Cagna (Paris) and Chapon Fin (Bordeaux).

After a period working for the Grupo Lezama, specifically at La Taberna del Alabardero, in 1989 he travelled to Cantabria to form part of the team at Molino de Puente Arce. A few months later, he made the jump to independence, and opened his own restaurant, Cenador de Amós in the village of Villaverde de Pontones, which after just two years gained Michelin-star status (1991).The restaurant was named after Amós, the chef's grandfather, who was never able to accomplish his own dream of opening up a guest house and eatery. But not only did the grandson make it, he was quick to earn a name for himself amongst the gourmets of Cantabria.

Cenador de Amós achieved its second Michelin star in the 2017 edition of the Guide and, finally, the third in the 2020 edition. Quite a recognition for a cuisine that focuses on proximity - the rich Cantabrian cuisine - to reinterpret it, but It also pays tribute to French cuisine and great produce.

In 2021, Jesús Sánchez returned to Madrid to open Amós inside the Rosewood Villamagna hotel, a restaurant with a bistro soul that functions as an embassy of the best cuisine in northern Spain, which has made him a reference among the country's great chefs.