Santi Santamaria
Encyclopedia
Santiago Santamaria i Puig (26 July 1957 – 16 February 2011), known as Santi Santamaria (ˈsanti ˌsantəməˈɾi.ə), was a prominent avant-garde
Spanish
Catalan
chef
. He was the first Catalan chef and owner to have his restaurant receive three stars from the Michelin Guide
(Can Fabes
in 1994).
His second restaurant, Sant Celoni
, was awarded two Michelin stars.
His style was a modern interpretation of traditional Catalan cuisine
and slow food
, focusing on fresh Mediterranean ingredients.
Santamaria made controversial accusations against the "molecular gastronomy
" of other Spanish chefs, singling out movement Ferran Adrià
.
Santamaria died on 16 February 2011 in his restaurant in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
of a heart attack.
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
. He was the first Catalan chef and owner to have his restaurant receive three stars from the Michelin Guide
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
(Can Fabes
Can Fabes
Can Fabes is a restaurant in Sant Celoni, Catalonia, Spain. The chef was Santi Santamaria, who was the first Catalan cook ever to get 3 Michelin stars. Santamaria has been the president of Relais Gourmands and Vicepresident of Relais & Chateaux . Can Fabes has been a member of Relais & Châteaux...
in 1994).
His second restaurant, Sant Celoni
Sant Celoni
Sant Celoni is a municipality in the comarca of the Vallès Oriental inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated in the valley of the Tordera river between the ranges of Montseny and Montnegre. The main part of the town is on the left bank of the river...
, was awarded two Michelin stars.
His style was a modern interpretation of traditional Catalan cuisine
Catalan cuisine
Catalan cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine from Catalonia. It may also refer to the shared cuisine of Roussillon and Andorra, which has a similar cuisine to the Alt Urgell and Cerdanya comarques, often referred to as "Catalan mountain cuisine"...
and slow food
Slow Food
Slow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of...
, focusing on fresh Mediterranean ingredients.
Santamaria made controversial accusations against the "molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in...
" of other Spanish chefs, singling out movement Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià i Acosta is a Catalan chef born on May 14, 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. He was the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava, and is considered one of the best chefs in the world.-Career:...
.
Santamaria died on 16 February 2011 in his restaurant in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
of a heart attack.