Meet Executive Chef Claudio Aguirre of Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I
The creator and driving force of the varied and rich menus of the restaurants and bars of Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I in Barcelona is Chilean Claudio Aguirre, Executive Chef.
Born in Viña del Mar, Chile, at a young age Claudio naturally came into the vocation for cooking, thanks to his family’s home cooking and, above all, the culinary experiences with his father. He was fortunate enough to travel with his merchant seaman father for long periods of time away from home and when he returned from these trips he liked to share his experiences and apply the knowledge he acquired from local restaurants and markets around the world. Today he still considers it as his best memory of his journey to becoming a Chef. He was almost born into it.
In 1992, Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I opened its doors and Claudio was selected as part of the kitchen team. During the past 25 years, his kitchen has become the centerpiece of production within the entire facility, taking care of all catering and banqueting services. Aguirre and his team work with local products that they cultivate on the outskirts of the city to bring excellent and imaginative dishes to the table and he believes Spain has the privilege of having local products of the highest quality, such as the ham of Extremadura and the anchovies of the Bay of Biscay, amongst others. Being Chilean, the Chilean gastronomy has also always contributed to his menus as he works with fresh products of the sea and land, and you can never miss a good fish on his menu.