Celia Jiménez (chef)

Celia Jiménez Caballero (born 19 February 1976) is a Spanish chef, who when she was head chef at El Lago restaurant became the first female chef in Spain to win a Michelin star.

Celia Jiménez
Born
Celia Jiménez Caballero

(1976-02-19) February 19, 1976
Córdoba, Spain
EducationLa Cónsula de Málaga
Culinary career
Cooking styleAndalusian cuisine
Websiteceliajimenez.com
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Jiménez and the second or maternal family name is Caballero.

Career

Celia Jiménez trained at La Cónsula de Málaga,[1] a successful cooking school which went on to produce several Michelin star winning chefs.[2] She said at the time, the expectation on menus was that it would feature staple fine dining dishes such as foie gras, cavier and scallops.[1] While she found that when training there was a better split of male and female chefs, she later said in an interview that over time the number of female chefs declined because of the pressures of leaving work to start a family.[3]

While working as head chef at the restaurant El Lago in Marbella, she won a Michelin star. This was the first time that a female Spanish chef had done so. She found the initial experience after the award to be chaotic, due to the increased expectations of diners and the volume of media requests. After the star was awarded, she continued to modify the menu served, although was not interested in introducing molecular gastronomy elements.[3]

In 2015, she opened her own establishment, Restaurant Celia Jiménez, within a sports complex in Cordoba. While she wished to continue serving fine dining, she also wanted to be accessible. Jiménez incorporated part of her work from her time working on food research at Bodegas Campos, in order to present her own take on modern Andalusian cuisine at the new restaurant. This includes a concentration on promoting the use of jamón ibérico, Iberian ham.[1]

References
  1. "¿Cómo es el nuevo restaurante de Celia Jiménez en Córdoba?". ABC Cordoba (in Spanish). 15 January 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  2. Duggan, Joe (8 January 2016). "Legendary Malaga cooking school La Consula closes its doors". The Olive Press. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  3. Jiménez, Marta (1 February 2015). "Celia Jiménez: "El sabor de Córdoba es el del sofrito"". Cordopolis. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
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