Paolo Casagrande, a chef of Venetian origin who has spent twenty years leading kitchens and earning MICHELIN Stars for Martin Berasategui, is now at the helm of the venues in the "Monument Hotel" in Barcelona.
Paolo Casagrande was born in Susegana, near Conegliano, in 1979. As a child, he preferred playing soccer or cooking with his family, whether it was with his grandmother or aunts. His vocation was as early as it was evident, to the point where his father suggested he attend the Alfredo Beltrame hotel school in Vittorio Veneto. He easily graduated from there, and at the age of eighteen, he decided to embark on his first culinary experiences. He moved between Milan and London and then, as is customary, France, working alongside renowned chefs like Pierre Pommel and Alain Solivérès for three years in Paris.
However, in 2003, when he was just 24 years old, he met Martin Berasategui, an encounter that changed his life. When the young chef began to contemplate his next career move, it was the chef from "Taillevent" who gave him the right direction, putting him on the path to recognition. The great Basque chef had built his gastronomic empire on the talent for discovering talents, motivating his team, and mentoring, and he didn't miss Casagrande's qualities when he began working at the eponymous three-star restaurant in the Basque Country. The respect he garnered grew steadily, to the point where Berasategui entrusted him with the kitchen of the "M. B." restaurant within the “Ritz-Carlton hotel” in Abama, Tenerife, where Casagrande earned his first MICHELIN Star in 2009.
Casagrande then returned to Italy to oversee the opening of the "Castadiva Resort," a luxury hotel located in Blevio, on Lake Como, where he stayed for two years. In 2012, he packed his bags again for Spain: Berasategui offered him the leadership of the kitchen at "Lasarte" in Barcelona, a restaurant that had already earned Two MICHELIN Stars since its opening in 2006.
Investments abounded all around: the hotel went from four stars to a luxury five-star establishment and tripled its dining spaces, redesigned by a trio of star architects, in search of even greater satisfaction. Casagrande rose to the challenge, showcasing an even more personal cuisine that combined his Italian heritage with the professional heritage he had gained in the Basque Country, while paying homage to the new territory of Catalonia and its superb Mediterranean products, with which he had a natural affinity. Experimentation was ongoing, with the goal of constant improvement, but every step was codified for replicability. The reward in 2016 was the Third MICHELIN Star, consistently reaffirmed over the years. It was the first time for the Catalan capital. Berasategui, enthusiastic, credited him with all the merit: it was thanks to his freshness and energy that the triumph was achieved.
Since February 2016, Casagrande has been in charge of the entire gastronomic project at the "Monument Hotel," still under Berasategui's direction, which includes "Lasarte," "Ristorante Oria," and "Hall0 Bar." The bond between the two chefs is now unbreakable: a single glance is enough for them to understand each other instantly. "It was Martin who called me back to achieve the goal he had set: the third star. We worked very hard, the whole team. When the establishment closed for two years for renovations, we managed to contain the damage: the restaurant was only closed for four months, so as not to negate constant hard work, never letting our guard down. I see it as a marathon; time rewards effort. Martin is now like an older brother to me: we think the same way, we're on the same wavelength. And I feel a double responsibility to defend his name and to do well here, for the city and for myself." In 2023, Casagrande is a guest at the Catalan Young Chef Award.
