An autodidact born in Elche, Spain, Susi Díaz has run La Finca since 1984. Michelin-starred since 2006 and, from 2025, holder of three Repsol Soles, she reinvents Alicante flavours with citrus, herbs and edible flowers harvested from her own garden.
Born 2 April 1956, Susi Díaz Ros learned to cook alongside her grandmothers, gathering wild herbs in the Elche countryside. With no formal culinary training, she and her husband José María Gómez opened La Finca in 1984, converting a farmhouse amid palms and orange trees into a research-driven restaurant.
Her focus on local produce earned a Michelin star in 2006, still retained. In March 2025 the Guía Repsol awarded La Finca its coveted three Soles, following a 2023 “Sol Sostenible,” for menus uniting biodynamic vegetables, Santa Pola seafood and estate-grown citrus.
From 2013 to 2017 she served as a judge on Top Chef España, and has appeared on programmes such as Las mañanas de Pepa Fernández (RNE) and Proteína marina (Canal Cocina).
Awards include the Premio Profesional Innovador (Elche, 2012), Premio Nacional de Hostelería – Cocinera Empresaria (2019), “Mujer Extraordinaria” by Onda Cero (2024) and the dedication of the “Jardí Cuinera Susi Díaz” (2020). Her recipe book Sentidos (2011) sets out a seasonal, emotion-led cuisine philosophy.
Today she leads La Finca’s brigade, tends the garden that fuels her creativity and, through Euro-Toques and other associations, supports professional training and sustainable gastro-tourism projects in south-eastern Spain.
