Chef Fran López
2 Michelin stars
Fran Lopez
With more than 22 years of experience in the restaurant business, chef Fran López is at the helm of Restaurante Villa Retiro.
In 2009 he became the fourth youngest chef in the world to be awarded a Michelin star, at just 25 years of age. At present, it has accumulated prestige in the Spanish gastronomic panorama and has 2 Michelin stars.
History
Born in l’Aldea, a municipality in the Catalan region of Baix Ebre in the province of Tarragona, in 1983, this young chef carries the hotel tradition in his genetic map, as he is the fourth generation of restaurateurs.
Raised between stoves, Fran, was becoming more and more interested in the world of cooking, until one day, and with only 16 years old, he went to Barcelona and began his studies as a cook at the prestigious Hofmann Cooking School where after three years and with the previous preparation to be a professional, he decided to continue his career studying nothing more and nothing less than in the city of Paris.
There, he will do a three-month stage and stay for three years with Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée in the capital of world cuisine. Back to Spain, and together with his brother Joaquim, they opened in 2006 the Hotel Villa Retiro and inside the hotel, the Restaurant known as El Torreó de l’Indià and now called Restaurant Villa Retiro.
His vision of cooking has grown and matured over the years. Today, it has accumulated prestige, two Michelin Stars and, most importantly, a voice of its own in the disputed Spanish gastronomic panorama.
Signature cuisine
Soon, Fran Lopez’s cuisine will be known in the south of Tarragona and throughout Spain. So much so that in November 2009, the prestigious Michelin Guide awarded him a star, which he retains to this day. He thus becomes the fourth youngest chef in the world to hold a Michelin Star (at only 25 years of age).
In 2013 and consolidated in the world of wine, they embarked on a joint project which is none other than the management and direction of the Celler Cooperativo de Pinell de Brai, known by all as the Catedral del Vi. His constant renovation in the kitchen, and the guarantee of success in the gastronomic restaurant, events and catering service, make Fran Lopez the reference in Terres de l’Ebre at the forefront of the kitchen.
Finally, they become ambassadors of the cuisine of the Ebre Delta in Barcelona and in May 2016 they open the Xerta Restaurant. Only six months after its opening, Fran López and his team, get the First Michelin Star, becoming the only chef in Terres del Ebre to have two stars in the Red Guide.
