| Ramón Freixa Biography
Born in the early 70s, Ramón Freixa spent his youth
in the cities of Igualada and Barcelona. His real passion
for the kitchen began at the hand of his maternal grandparents,
bakers by profession. He loved to play with flour and sugar,
and with them he made his first excursions into what has become
his grand passion, pastry-making. At the end of the 80s he
finished his bachelor’s and already felt an attraction
toward haute cuisine, in following with the footsteps of his
father.
He studied hotel management and hospitality for three years
at Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo de Sant
Pol de Mar in Barcelona, and upon finishing there, he began
a journey to some of the finest and most recognized kitchens
in Europe to cultivate his vocation. In the early 90s in Belgium,
he learned innovative kitchen secrets at La Cuisine des
Anges, whose proprietor, Nicolas Pequreau, was a good
friend of Freixa’s family. He showed Freixa the latest
trends and techniques that formed the base of the chef Freixa
is today.
Nicolas, who thought that Freixa needed to learn more, soon
put Freixa in contact with two other great centers of Belgian
cooking, La Tuffe Noire and Comme Chez Soi,
where he worked before returning to Catalonia. Upon returning
to Barcelona, his parents, Josep Maria and Dori, gave him
new support and sent him to the French countryside, this time
to Laguiole and the restaurant of Michel Bras, where he discovered
a new world of wild plants and flowers that he soon applied
to his first spring menus.
In 1994, he returned to Barcelona where his father gave him
a place of honor in the kitchen of El Raco D’en
Freixa, where he worked on everything from appetizers
to desserts. In 1998 Josep finally decided to retire and Ramón
Freixa became responsible for maintaining the prestige that
Josep began in 1988 with his first Michelin star.
 This
year was an extremely busy for him, as Freixa dedicated himself
day and night to the writing of his first book of recipes,
“El pa, l’oli i el vi.” His first written
work, it was the fruits of his 1996 autumn menu that evoked
the basic elements of Mediterranean cuisine and the afternoon
teas of the post-war generation, introducing the public palate
to surprising and simple things, like bread with olives and
wine. In 2001, the Guia Gourmetour gave him the prize
of Best Cook and Best Restaurant in Spain.
Chef Ramón Freixa with
his Kitchen Staff
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