I started my path in the kitchen when I was barely 20 years old, under the watchful eye of Andrés Madrigal at the Balzac restaurant in Madrid, where I learned the basics of traditional cooking and where my interest in mixing and fusing flavors also began to awaken.
After two years at Balzac, I took charge of Profundo, a small bistro owned by Andrés Madrigal, and realized that I wanted to captain my own boat.
After that, I traveled, explored, and even worked in restaurants like Sissi, until in 2008, and by a twist of fate, I found myself in the paradisiacal beaches of Zahara de los Atunes, where I decided to start my personal adventure: I opened with two friends and partners (Laura López and Jaime Mato) my first restaurant, AlbedriO.
In these first years as owners and entrepreneurs we learned to love Cádiz, its products, its climate, its people and its rhythm; we became forever rooted in its gastronomy. The seasons were very short in this area, which allowed us to travel and cook in many countries such as Bali, Peru, Mexico, China, Thailand... Thus, little by little, our ingrained coastal Cádiz cooking style incorporated new flavors and textures resulting in an eclectic cuisine where all those trips and adventures come together.
After four years, and also in Zahara de los Atunes, we opened the more casual Trasteo Taberna, where we developed an equally cosmopolitan cooking but more attuned to the local spirit. This resulted in a fun, boisterous, carefree place with a rogue air in the purest Cádiz style.
After 9 years in Cádiz cooking its coasts, I decided to return to Madrid, my hometown, and open a space where I could continue developing my passion for gastronomy without limits. I wanted a space with a bar and a terrace where to eat or have tapas casually, which is what we were used to in Cádiz; but I also wanted a space where to sit and enjoy a good after-meal conversation. And so I found the ideal place for all this on Calle Ibiza 4.
Since KultO was born, my way of cooking has never stopped evolving, remaining nonetheless faithful to my love for Cádiz and its products: we continue working with almadraba red tuna and fish such as sea bass, ´borriquete’ and other products from the coast of Cádiz, like the Retinta cow, which we receive weekly from its markets.
But we are in and come from Madrid, after all. And that carries weight. So we also cook typical local dishes such as ‘Callos a la madrileña’ (tripe), pig’s ear, or “Pepito”, all from a very personal perspective. We also work with vegetables from small producers and organic legumes.
