Paco Roncero

Creator, manager and team leader: Paco Roncero (Madrid, 1969) has been successful in all three disciplines if not more: media chef, researcher, adviser… Paco Roncero Restaurant (two Michelin Stars), in the stately, palatial building of the Casino de Madrid, has been the operational base for this chef since 1991. Some of his creations include apple and virgin olive oil ravioli, dragon oil (using liquid nitrogen), nori seaweed lollipops, air of foie gras, rose petals in tempura, olive oil jam, and many more. His style takes much of its inspiration from the revered Ferran Adrià. This influence comes direct from the world-renowned Catalonian chef, once gastronomic adviser at La Terraza del Casino (former name of Paco Roncero restaurant).

Olive oil is one of this chef's main interests. Since 2006, there is an oil workshop in the facilities of Casino de Madrid, where Roncero he has been researching into the different textures and flavors that can be achieved with olive oil. His work crystallized in the form of an ambitious menu of thirteen dishes, every one of them based on olive oil, from the starters to the desserts.

As already stated, Paco Roncero wears more than one hat. In addition to cooking, he has always taken charge of the financial side of his operations and in 2003 created his Kitchen manager software to calculate costs and optimize the returns of restaurants. In 2008 he set up the first of a chain of tapas bars called Estado Puro in Madrid, with a concept based on classic recipes with a touch of sophistication and top-quality produce that has a second outpost in Shanghai. The renovation of tapas is a task that enthuses Paco Roncero, a chef who builds on Spanish cuisine through innovation and experimentation while preserving its origins. When asked about his secret, he replies, "I sleep only four hours a day”.

One step further

More surprises came along in June 2012. Paco launched PacoRonceroTaller, his personal culinary workshop.This time, it is cutting edge technology and the assistance of the prestigious Guía Repsol (guide) and the NH Hotel Chain, that have made it possible to carry out this dream of creating a unique space dedicated to the pairing of avant-garde gastronomy with technological innovation.The result, a ‘secret’ workshop equipped to stir one’s emotions, recreate environments and provoke sensations. Available by invitation only and with seating for only eight diners, this living lab is designed to create a 100% vivacious sensory space that interacts with those who inhabit it – controlling the temperature and humidity, as well as the colors, aromas and acoustics – making it possible to create different stages and ambiences in which the dining experience can be enjoyed.This is possible thanks in part to Hisia, an “intelligent table” made out of a ceramic material called Keraon. Another element is the olive oil ‘archive’, with its 216 test tubes for tasting olive oils. In any case, one thing’s for sure, that this laboratory of gastronomy and technology is only the beginning for Roncero.

In 2014, Paco Roncero opened his first restaurant in America, in the city of Bogota. It is V.O. Versión Original, which has become one of Bogota’s trendiest restaurant spots. In V.O. the chef gives a twist to Spanish cuisine. The restaurant has a staff of culinary professionals both from Spain and Colombia. A second Roncero restaurant is also opened in the city of Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), which is called Pata Negra. After years of research and investigation into the world of emotions in fine dining, Paco Roncero opened in Ibiza Sublimotion, a radically immersive experience limited to only 12 guests per night in a unique space that is considered as one of the most expensive restaurants in the World. Another mind-blowing project from a cutting-edge chef, always pushing the limits in cuisine.