From being a girl not so interested in food to a successful chef. Begoña Rodriguez's career, with "La Salita," her One-MICHELIN-Starred restaurant, is proof that one can change their mind and path, achieving great success.
Begoña Rodrigo born in 1975 in Valencia, grew up to become a successful chef, but as a child, she did not have a passion for cooking, let alone for eating well, to be honest. After high school, she attended industrial engineering courses at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, which she then left to dedicate herself to a newly discovered passion.
She opened two bakeries in her hometown then, at 21, she moved to Amsterdam, where she cleaned rooms at the "Marriott Hotel" before obtaining a position in the kitchen. However, not long after, she changed jobs, moving to the "Hotel Karel V." The chef stayed eight years in the Netherlands, then went to London, where she worked at the "Aquarium" restaurant, then moved again, accumulating experiences in kitchens around the world.
In 2004, she returned to Valencia to help her sister Ruth in opening what would become her restaurant, "La Salita." Here, the chef creates dishes of international character using local products, including vegetables, many of which are grown in the restaurant's garden. In 2013, Begoña participated in, and won, the first edition of Top Chef Spain, bringing further visibility to the restaurant.
In 2014, she was named Best Chef of the Valencian community; three years later, her book "The Taste of Elegance" was chosen as the Best Book in the World in the women chefs category of the Gourmand Awards, and finally, in 2019, “La Salita” received a MICHELIN Star, later joined by a Repsol sun. In 2023, she participated as a speaker at the Gastronomika fair in San Sebastian.
