By the time he was only 25 years old, he had already obtained the position of head chef, then spent 15 years cooking in a 5-star hotel. But today Chef Antoni Perelló wants to devote himself to feeding the elderly in a nursing home.
The story
Some people abandon starred cuisine to follow a more human and deeply authentic dream. This is the case of Antoni Perelló, a Majorcan chef born in 1971, who decided to revolutionize his career path, moving from the dazzling lights of luxury hotels to the welcoming quiet of a nursing home. Today, Perelló is the gastronomic heart and soul of the Fontsana Son Armadams residence , in Palma de Mallorca, where he prepares menus for about 200 guests every day , bringing to the table flavors that speak of home, tradition, and care.
Perelló's career began among the stoves of the island's most renowned restaurants. By the time he was only 25 years old, he had already achieved the position of head chef, working in starred restaurants such as Koldo Royo and the iconic El Olivo, and in luxury hotels such as Belmond La Residencia. However, after more than 15 years in a five-star hotel, Perelló felt the call of a new challenge. “I didn't want to go back to a hotel like the previous ones,” he tells El País in an interview with Lucia Bohorquez. “The world of nursing homes and hospitals has always attracted me, and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it." Today, together with his nine-person team, the chef creates daily menus that not only satisfy the palates of his guests, but also adapt to their specific needs, often dictated by medical conditions. About 30 percent of the dishes, in fact, undergo modifications to become smoothie, gluten-free or lactose-free, demonstrating an almost surgical precision in attention to detail.
Perelló's secret lies in combining familiar flavors with a touch of creativity. “We prepare typical dishes from the island and national cuisine, but with some international nuances, “ he explains. The menu changes with the seasons: richer and warmer in winter, lighter and fresher in summer. Each proposal is carefully evaluated by a nutritionist, creating a balance between taste and health. “In a way, it's like running a starred restaurant,“ Perelló says, ”but here the contact with customers is much more direct and personal." And the dishes tell stories. Rice with fried eggs, served on Sundays, is a moment of pure nostalgia for the residence's guests, a link to the flavors of a past life. "We have to pamper them a lot, ” the chef confides. “We know this is their home, even if it's not their family or the place where they've lived all their lives.”
When Perelló arrived at Fontsana, the residence's kitchen suffered from a bad reputation, a problem common to many similar establishments. The management decided to change course, relying on the professionalism of a chef who could turn the perception of food quality around. "There are so many misconceptions about what is served in nursing homes or hospitals, ‘ Perelló notes. ’But here we use high-quality products, prepared with the utmost care and tailored to individual needs, often more carefully than in many restaurants.”
And while the atmosphere of a residence may not have the magic of a starred restaurant or the intimacy of a family dinner, Perelló works to create an experience that goes beyond mere nourishment. Dinner is already prepared for this evening: cream of zucchini, tuna pie, and grilled sirloin with a side of tomatoes and Vichy carrots. Simple dishes, sure, but made with a rare and precious ingredient: the attention to detail that turns every meal into a gesture of love.
