The only two new stars in the Spanish guide shine on Venta Moncalvillo, a restaurant founded in 1997 by the Echapresto brothers in the tiny location of Daroca de Rioja, focused on territory and sustainability.
The story
In the latest edition of the Michelin guide dedicated to Spain, there were 31 new single stars and 2 triplets, but only they achieved a double: the Echapresto brothers of Venta Moncalvillo in Daroca de Rioja, whose story was covered by El Mundo in a recent feature. In 1997, when they opened their restaurant along the road, they were two completely self-taught eighteen-year-olds, supported by their mother Rosi. Ignacio took charge of the kitchen, Carlos managed the dining room and the cellar. The idea was to offer traditional Rioja cuisine (an autonomous community with the record of stars per capita) to build a future in the village, which seemed destined to disappear with its 24 inhabitants (but today officially 50).
The first star arrived in 2010, gaining attention for being located in the smallest village in the world. However, no one could have imagined that 13 years later they would enter the exclusive club of two-starred restaurants, numbering 32 establishments. "We welcomed the second star as a recognition of the work we have carried out in these twenty-seven years, but it is above all a tribute to our mother Rosi, without whom we would not be here because she, who passed away a few years ago, helped us in the kitchen at the beginning, was our inspiration and our driving force. But also to our father, who supported us from the beginning and remains by our side, unconditionally."
The building has now been modernized, after two years of work, with a view of the house's biodynamic garden since 2018. And it is the vegetables that rule in the kitchen: seasonal vegetables strategically preserved, such as mushrooms collected in the nearby woods, where game also thrives. There is also a seed bank with 250 varieties. The Echapresto brothers, being the children of farmers and breeders, are proud to be inspired by biodynamics.
This inspiration is reflected in the tasting menus, whether it's Roots (120 euros), Fruits (140 euros), or the entirely green course Leaves-Flowers (120 euros). An in-depth exploration that has not escaped another guide, the "We're Smart Green Guide," which included Venta Moncalvillo among the best vegetarian restaurants in the world.
The cellar offers a selection of 1800 labels, also award-winning, where Rioja stands out, but there is also a line of mead produced in collaboration with Carlos's son, Ismael, who oversees agricultural production with his uncle Carmelo; while the brother Mario is the pastry chef. These efforts have earned the establishment a precious green star for sustainability (the restaurant has a photovoltaic energy system that covers a third of its needs, waste recycling systems, and water resource optimization).
