For Carnero, the tasting menu created a “cage” of rules, schedules, and restrictions that ended up driving away some of his customers, including his most loyal ones.
The news
There is an air of radical change in Malaga's haute cuisine. Chef Dani Carnero, the creative mind behind acclaimed establishments such as La Cosmopolita and La Cosmo, has sparked debate in the Spanish gastronomic scene with a bold decision for his Michelin-starred restaurant, Kaleja: the introduction of a revamped à la carte menu, in response to what he describes as a “clamor” from his customers. The move marks a stance against the dominance of tasting menus and in favor of a more authentic and immediate cuisine. Carnero's decision is particularly significant as Kaleya holds a Michelin star, with standards often associated with the tasting format. The chef is aware of the risk, but he is not intimidated. "Michelin is the best. Michelin fills the restaurant, but it shouldn't become a constraint," he said in a recent interview with 7Canibales.
Carnero challenges the perception that a star imposes restrictions, pointing out that it is often the chefs themselves who impose them on themselves. “We're afraid to make any moves, even though I think this one will prove me right, I'm almost convinced.” The return to a more dynamic and less “planned” menu allows him to embrace his iconic dishes again, such as the famous calamari mutton kru and roasted peppers, which had been set aside. “If someone comes to Kaleja and asks for spider crab tortilla, why can't I serve it to them? Where is that specified?” he asks, with an air of defiance. “If you're a good cook, you're good anywhere, right?” Starting this fall, Kaleja will no longer be anchored exclusively to the rigid tasting menu. Carnero has introduced a flexible “3+1” or “4+1” option (starter, three or four main courses of your choice, main course, and dessert for €85), retiring the short tasting menu and streamlining the long one from 19 to 12 courses.
Carnero does not mince words when explaining the reasons behind his change of heart. “We can no longer deny it: the public is clamoring for it. They want more freedom,” For him, the tasting menu had created a “cage” of rules and restrictions that ended up alienating some of his customers, including his most loyal ones. There are other reasons too: “We imposed restrictions on times, clothing, going out for a smoke or going to the bathroom during the meal.” Too much, in his opinion. “I'm going back to basics, to listening to people,” he explains, citing the example of a friend who didn't come to Kaleja because “he couldn't afford it” but then spent more money eating standing up elsewhere. “So it's not an economic issue. It's freedom! They're really telling us that.”
In addition to freedom, there is also a practical and philosophical reason. Carnero senses a general fatigue with the celebrity chef culture. “People are tired of so many names? They're tired of us. It's always the same thing,” he says. “We've been given this huge aura, so much Masterchef and so much history, so much egocentricity.” For Carnero, the goal is no longer forced “creation,” but authenticity and freshness. “I'm more interested in understanding than creating,” he confesses. The hope is that the “Pepes,” the local customers, will once again feel at home, free from expectations. Article 2 of Kaleja's new manifesto, therefore, seems to be a return to the simple and direct pleasure of good food. “I don't care about thinking while I eat. There are other things in my life to think about. When I eat, I eat.” The challenge is on: will the new Kaleja manage to keep its star by betting on customer freedom and chef authenticity?
