“Have you visited the wine cellar yet?” is the first thing the chef Fran López says to me when I step into Villa Retiro, the hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant in Xerta. He is referring to the Celler Cooperatiu del Pinell de Brai, one of the Cathedrals of Wine, which exemplify López's project very well, a project that transcends the walls of his restaurant and shows the chef's commitment to the territory. Now that Villa Retiro is 20 years old, it is a good time to focus on it and also celebrate it with the menu he has designed for the occasion, which could be nothing else but a tribute to the Terres de l'Ebre.

The Terres de l’Ebre are a natural paradise. A national treasure. But, furthermore, they are also a great gastronomic enclave despite having a very low population density. In Ulldecona alone, we find two Michelin-starred restaurants: l’Antic Molí and Les Moles. Today we visit the first one, where what shines brightest is not precisely the star, but the circular economy project that sustains it, the way it positively impacts the territory, and the fact that it not only establishes itself in haute cuisine but also offers options for all budgets. "We take small steps to grow big," says its chef and owner, Vicent Guimerà. They have already taken many steps, because what they offer from their kitchen is revered and applauded by their neighbors and by those who visit it.

The Michelin Guide was born in 1900 with a business purpose that most have forgotten today: to sell more tires. How was it possible to combine cuisine with automobiles? Brothers André and Édouard Michelin had founded the company eleven years earlier in Clermont-Ferrand, in central France, encouraged by the positive outlook for the automotive industry. But at that time, there were fewer than 3,000 vehicles on the French market, and most were concentrated in cities. How could they get people to wear out their tires and get them punctured so they could sell new ones? Thus, a guide was launched, initially free, with maps and numerous recommended restaurants, with the intention of encouraging car owners to travel the country. Over time, the selection of the best restaurants by independent "inspectors" solidified the guide's status as a benchmark, and in 1926, quality began to be rated with stars. Today, the guide is a global benchmark, sometimes overshadowed by Michelin-starred restaurants, but it continues to carefully select the best restaurants, even outside major cities. This was the case on Monday in Girona with the presentation of Michelin plaques to recommended restaurants in Catalonia outside of Barcelona. This year, CaixaBank was responsible for presenting the 89 plaques, having taken over the organization with the aim of strengthening its presence in the gastronomy sector. As with Michelin stars, Catalonia accounts for one in five of the top establishments in Spain, with a wide geographical distribution. For 2025, 10 restaurants outside Barcelona will be added to the list, which, in keeping with the spirit in which the guide was created, are well worth a visit.

On June 25, 2025, a Catalan made history. He went from having no Michelin stars to having three at once. And he did it with a restaurant called Somni, located in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, which had only been open for seven months. The Californian city had never had a restaurant with the highest distinction. No one with a Spanish passport had ever achieved it beyond the border. All this happened to a chef with a Basque name from Sicília Street in Barcelona. "I'm a kid from Arc de Triomf who ended up in Los Angeles serving food to Tom Hanks," he said. This is the story of Aitor Zabala (Barcelona, ​​1979) and how he made his dream a reality.

In Portbou, the last town on the Costa Brava before crossing the border into Northern Catalonia, stands out one of the most unique and stimulating fine dining experiences in the Girona region. It's Voramar, a small, meticulously maintained restaurant by the sea, entirely managed by the Jamàs i Garbí family. which in 2025 earned its first Michelin starA recognition that They have renewed their contracts for 2026 this week.consolidating their position at the forefront of the Catalan gourmet scene. For all these reasons, they have been one of the winners of the new ARA Girona awards, named the 25 people from Girona who have scored in 2025, Delivered on November 12th.

Not so many years ago, chefs found out they had won a Michelin star because a journalist called them or they simply saw it published in the newspaper. Now the event, which celebrates the 125th anniversary of the publication, is a spectacle with a red carpet, lights, a stage, speeches by politicians, and many sponsors. A sign of our times. In this context, the coveted Michelin stars were awarded in Malaga on Tuesday night, where the idea that "a star changes your life" was repeated several times.

It's a late summer morning, and twin brothers Joan and Màrius Jordà (37) are preparing the menu for the two restaurants they run inside the Hotel Empòrium (c/ Santa Clara, 31, Castelló d'Empúries), where their parents also work. The brothers can easily move from one restaurant to the other because they're separated by a wall. Being two of them, and getting along well, they share the work. In fact, customers who don't know they're identical twins might think the same person does everything. The Hotel Empòrium has just turned sixtieth, and its two restaurants are in great shape: since last November, the informal Bistrot 1965 has had a green star and a Bib Gourmand award, which means it's recognized for its good value (it costs 40 euros). To continue, the Empòrium, with two tasting menus, has had a red star since 2016 and a green one since 2023. The chefs were 27 years old when they received their first stellar recognition from the French guide.

The restaurant Aürt, by chef Artur Martínez, located in the Hilton Diagonal Mar Hotel, is in great shape six years after its opening. That is why the chef from Terrassa has made the risky decision to move it to a more central location to find "a setting more in line with the gastronomic proposal", in an environment "conducive to a more immersive, intimate and comfortable experience".