Angel Léon, the "Chef of the Sea," was born in Cadiz in 1977. He has revolutionized seafood cuisine with innovative uses of fish products. His restaurant "Aponiente" has earned Three MICHELIN Stars and a Green Star for sustainability. Léon is also known for his environmental commitment in the fishing industry.
Angel Léon, born into the vibrant culinary scene of Cadiz in 1977, managed to turn his passion for the sea and its cuisine into a successful career. After starting his culinary training at the renowned "Taberna del Alabardero" in Seville, he continued his apprenticeship at "Le Chapon Fin" in Bordeaux, France.
Upon returning to Spain, Léon honed his culinary skills by collaborating with chef Fernando Córdoba at the restaurant "El Faro," before taking the helm at "La Casa del Temple" in Toledo.
The chef's innovative spirit was already evident in 2006 when he revolutionized the concept of utilizing fish scraps. However, it was in Cadiz, with the foundation of "Aponiente" in 2007, that Angel truly began making a difference in the gastronomic landscape, earning the title of "Chef of the Sea."
In that same year, he invented Clarimax, a broth clarification machine, and a year later discovered the energy potential of olive pits as fuel. In 2009, he became the first chef in the world to introduce plankton into his menu offerings.
His restaurant has garnered local and global acclaim. In 2011, The Wall Street Journal included "Aponiente" among the top ten restaurants in Europe, and The New York Times named it one of the "10 Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride."
Not only an innovator but also a public figure, Léon served as a judge on the first edition of the television competition Top Chef in 2013.
His achievements did not stop there: between 2010 and 2017, "Aponiente" received Three MICHELIN Stars, and since 2012, the restaurant has also been awarded three suns in the Repsol Guide.
In 2016, Angel opened two additional restaurants: one in El Puerto de Santa María, called "La Taberna del Chef del Mar," and the second, "Alevante," at the Gran Meliá Sancti Petri Hotel.
In 2017, "Aponiente" became the first restaurant to receive a Green MICHELIN Star for sustainability, and Angel was awarded the title of “Chef of the Year” in Europe at Madrid Fusión.
These successes only further solidified his reputation as an exceptional chef, appreciated for both his culinary mastery and his authentic character.
In 2021, Angel Léon's exceptional talent gained further international recognition when his restaurant "Aponiente" ranked 79th in the prestigious list of the world's best restaurants. That same year, he appeared as a guest judge on an episode of Top Chef France.
Léon is also known for his environmental commitment in the fishing industry, promoting "de-fishing" practices, and his ingenuity in producing and transforming previously unimagined seafood products, such as sea charcuterie or rice grown in sea gardens, created in collaboration with a champagne company.
Despite numerous accolades, Léon has always maintained a humble and reserved demeanor.
