Carme Ruscalleda facts for kids
Carme Ruscalleda
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| Born | Carme Ruscalleda i Serra 1952 (age 72–73) Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona, Catalonia Spain |
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| Cooking style | Catalan tradition |
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Rating(s)
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Current restaurant(s)
Sant Pau de sant Pol de Mar; Sant Pau de Tòquio
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| Official website | |
| http://www.ruscalleda.com/ | |
Carme Ruscalleda i Serra (born in 1952) is a very famous Spanish chef. She is known for her amazing cooking at her restaurant called Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar, a town near Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. She also owns and manages another restaurant, Sant Pau de Tòquio, in Japan. Carme Ruscalleda is special because she is the only female chef in the world to have seven Michelin stars!
Contents
Her Early Life and Training
Carme Ruscalleda grew up in a family of farmers. This meant she learned a lot about fresh ingredients from a young age. She studied special cooking methods for meats, called Charcuterie, and also learned about business.
In 1975, she married Toni Balam, who owned a grocery store. Together, they decided to open their own restaurant called Sant Pau in 1988.
Her Famous Restaurants
The Sant Pau restaurant quickly became very popular.
- In 1991, it earned its first Michelin Guide star. A Michelin star is a very important award that shows how good a restaurant is.
- By 2006, Sant Pau had earned its third Michelin star. This is the highest award a restaurant can get!
Carme Ruscalleda's restaurants now have seven Michelin stars in total:
- Three stars for her original Sant Pau restaurant in Catalonia, Spain.
- Two stars for her Sant Pau restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.
- Two stars for the Moments Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, which opened in 2016.
This makes her the only female chef in the world with seven Michelin stars. Her restaurant in Sant Pol de Mar also received the top award of three "suns" from the Campsa Guide in 1999. The Campsa Guide is another important Spanish restaurant guide.
What is Her Cooking Style?
Carme Ruscalleda's cooking is based on traditional Catalan cuisine. Catalan food comes from the Catalonia region of Spain. However, she also likes to add ideas from other parts of the world. She always focuses on using high-quality and fresh ingredients that are in season.
She often creates dishes that tell a story or are linked to a special idea. She explains this idea on the menu, making the meal a bit like reading a book!
Books and Other Projects
Since the year 2000, Carme Ruscalleda has written many books about Mediterranean cuisine. These books include recipes that people can cook at home, even if they are not professional chefs. One of her most famous books is Cuinar per ser feliç (which means Cooking to be happy), published in 2001. She also published an English book called Carme Ruscalleda's Mediterranean Cuisine in 2007.
Since 2009, Carme Ruscalleda has also helped to run the Moments restaurant in Barcelona with her son, Raül Balam. This restaurant also has two Michelin stars.
