Martín Berasategui, trained among the greats, now boasts 12 MICHELIN Stars in his name. Among the various acclaimed restaurants, the first one is "Ristorante Martín Berasategui," a 3 MICHELIN-Starred establishment in Lasarte-Oria. In the 2022 Spain and Portugal edition of the Guide also awarded Martín the title of mentor chef due to his abilities as a talent scout.
Martín Berasategui was born in San Sebastian in 1960 and took his first steps at "Bodegón Alejandro," a popular restaurant located in the historic center of San Sebastian, managed by his mother and aunt. Here, one can enjoy dishes like "merluzzo al verde" and his butcher father's tripe, unfortunately passing away prematurely when Martín was just eleven years old.
Berasategui never doubted his calling. As a teenager, he met Didier Oudil, a student of Michel Guérard, who introduced him to the secrets and techniques of French haute cuisine. After three years, Martín returned to San Sebastian, but he didn't miss the chance to do internships in Spain and France, using every break to improve himself. "I had set up a bed at the foot of the Bodegón's stairs, so whenever I could, I would leave to learn somewhere. I tried to acquire a complete training as a pastry chef, baker, butcher, and ice cream maker. But I don't like office work, I much prefer the kitchen."
This is how he learned: in Bayonne from Jean Paul Heynard and in Anglet from André Mandion; he delved into the world of charcuterie under the wing of François Brouchican and then worked in the kitchen with Bernard Lacarrau. Another decisive encounter was with Alain Ducasse at the "Louis XV" in Monte Carlo, a true school of organization. The award in 1986 marked the first Star in a long series, embodied at the "Bodegón Alejandro" (now closed). Berasategui celebrated it and immediately rolled up his sleeves for new achievements.
The bar was raised sharply on May 1st, 1993, when together with his wife Oneka Arregui, he opened the "Ristorante Martín Berasategui" in Lasarte-Oria, a few kilometers from San Sebastián. A comfortable and luxurious establishment, with a huge kitchen filled with an extensive and orderly brigade, exuding a French atmosphere. The first Star arrived in 1994, followed closely by the second in 1996, reaching the highest score, consistently reaffirmed, in 2001, thanks to an original style.
But that wasn't enough: insatiable, Berasategui began opening new addresses, all of which were promptly awarded by the Guide. Today, there are a dozen of them, both in the country and abroad. Apart from the three Stars at his eponymous restaurant, there are also three at "Lasarte" in Barcelona, two at "M.B." in Tenerife, one at "Oria" in Barcelona, one at "Ola Martín Berasategui" in Bilbao, one at "Fifty Seconds Martín Berasategui" in Lisbon, and one at "Etxeko Ibiza," totaling twelve Stars.
But his career is adorned with recognitions of all kinds, such as the honorary doctorate conferred upon him in 2013 by the University François Rabelais of Tours and in 2019, the Gold Medal for "Mérito en Bellas Artes" by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Among the exceptional talents he discovers with his impeccable instinct as a talent scout are Andoni Luis Aduriz, Josean Martinez Alija, and Paolo Casagrande, his Italian alter ego at "Lasarte." "I feel like their older brother," he says. Not surprisingly, he was awarded the mentor chef title by the MICHELIN Guide Spain and Portugal 2022.
Lastly, a curiosity: his famous expression "garrote," recurrent in interviews and in over twenty books, has entered the RAE dictionary (Royal Spanish Academy). The definition is a mixture of "effort, enthusiasm, and perseverance": the not-so-secret recipe that led him to success.
