Eneko Atxa facts for kids

Eneko Atxa Azurmendi was born on September 14, 1977. He is a famous Spanish chef from the Basque Country. He is well-known for his amazing cooking and for caring about the environment. This means he tries to use resources wisely and protect the planet.

Eneko's Journey in Cooking

Early Days and Training

Eneko Atxa began cooking very young. His mother and grandmother taught him a lot at home. When he was 15, he went to the Culinary School of Leioa. This school is in Biscay, part of the Basque Country. While studying, he also worked in restaurants. There, he learned how to make traditional Basque cuisine. After his training, he worked in many top restaurants. This helped him create his own special cooking style.

Opening Azurmendi Restaurant

In 2005, Eneko decided to open his own restaurant. He named it Azurmendi*. It quickly became very popular. In 2012, Azurmendi* received three Michelin stars. This is a huge award for restaurants. It was the first and only restaurant in Biscay to get three stars. At 35, Eneko Atxa became one of Spain's youngest chefs with three Michelin stars.

Azurmendi has also won a "green star" from Michelin. This special award is for restaurants that are very sustainable. Azurmendi has twice been called the "most sustainable restaurant." This was by The World's 50 Best list.

A Green Building for Azurmendi

In 2012, Eneko finished building a new home for Azurmendi. It is a special "bioclimatic building." This means it is designed to work with nature. It uses recycled materials like aluminium, glass, and plastic. It also uses renewable energy. This helps save 50% of the energy needed.

The building gets power from geothermal energy and photovoltaic solar panels. These are clean energy sources. Rainwater is collected and used for watering plants. It is also used for the bathrooms. This helps save a lot of water.

Helping the Environment and Farmers

Eneko Atxa works with the Alicia Foundation. He also works with the University of the Basque Country. They are creating a "germplasm bank." This bank will store seeds from over 400 local vegetables. The goal is to teach people about saving different kinds of plants. This helps keep our food sources strong.

This project is in the Azurmendi Sustainability Center. The local government of Larrabetzu supports it. They want to create a circular economic system. This means local farmers use compost from the restaurant. This compost helps make the soil healthy. Then, the farmers grow food for the restaurant. It's a great way to reuse resources.

In 2016, Eneko started JAKI(N). This is a place for new ideas. It helps create projects that are good for people. It also helps the environment, health, and society.

In 2019, he started Bestfarmers with Xabi Uribe-Etxebarria. This project helps farmers who use sustainable methods. It shows how important their work is. It also rewards them for protecting the land.

Awards and Recognitions

Eneko Atxa has won many awards for his cooking and his work for the environment. Here are some of them:

• 2003: Signature Cuisine Champion of Spain for Young Chefs.
• 2004: The Haute Cuisine for Young Chefs Award.
• 2007: First Michelin star for Azurmendi.
• 2007: Euskadi Award for Best Chef of the Year.
• 2010: Second Michelin star for Azurmendi.
• 2012: Azurmendi receives 3 Michelin Stars.
• 2014 and 2018: World's Most Sustainable Restaurant Award for Azurmendi.
• 2015: Azurmendi is named the Best Restaurant in Europe by Opinionated About Dining.
• 2016: Eneko Atxa wins the National Gastronomy Award for Best Chef.
• 2017: ENEKO restaurant gets a Michelin star.
• 2019: Eneko Atxa wins Best Chef Award in Europe by Madrid Fusion.
• 2020: Azurmendi and ENEKO both win a Green Michelin star.
• 2021: Eneko Atxa wins the first 'Sustainable Sun' Award. Azurmendi wins the Sustainability Award from Madrid Fusión.
• 2022: Eneko Atxa receives the 'MadBlue Cinco Océanos' Award for his sustainability work. He also gets the Sustainability award from Gentleman magazine.

See also

In Spanish: Eneko Atxa para niños