María de la O, gastronomic expert in the Granada bar scene

Chechu González didn't grow up watching cooking shows or dreaming of a chef's jacket. He was one of nine siblings, and his curiosity was divided among the stimuli of Granada. He was drawn to his mother's activity in the kitchen, where she prepared several meals so that each child could eat what they liked best: "My mother didn't prepare just one meal for everyone, but several, so that each one could eat what they liked best," he recalls.

It was she who suggested he enroll in the Granada Hospitality School. "I didn't even know it existed," he confesses. Before that, at twenty, he played with two of his brothers in the Britpop band Especie Sub and was co-owner, along with another brother, of the pub Segunda Edición, frequented by bands like Los Planetas and Niños Mutantes.

When he started working as a chef, he left music for the weekends and became head chef in several restaurants. "I liked the profession, but there came a point where I felt stuck." Around the age of forty, he went to San Sebastián to study for a master's degree in creativity at the Basque Culinary Center. "It was a risky investment, because I had to quit my job and pay for my studies and expenses, but it was the best decision I could have made," he confesses.

Eager to continue learning, she worked at Suculent in Barcelona, ​​Kokotxa in San Sebastián, and Compartir in Cadaqués, until she received an offer to return to Granada to lead the María de la O project.

In Granada, a city of a thousand bars, a fine-dining restaurant is almost an act of nonconformity. The city has yet to see a Michelin star, and the few who venture down this path are swimming against the tide. At María de la O, they dream of a macaron on the red plaque at the entrance, which distinguishes them as recommended by the French guide, but the star is the real challenge, and they are pursuing it. "Yes, we have approached the standards of a fine-dining restaurant with a tasting menu and meticulous presentation, but beyond it aligning with the Michelin style, we are committed to it because we love it and because it is a rare offering in Granada," explains Chechu.

María de la O offers two tasting menus: one with 13 courses (€93) and another with 10 (€78). Chechu González is one of the great innovators of escabeche, which appears in the oyster that opens the menu, in the raw Motril prawns with a touch of orange, and in the first dessert, pickled strawberries with smoked cream.

The sauces are always delicate and flavorful, and acidity is one of their strengths. Dishes like the warm cream of fine clams, the confit endive with anchovy sauce and smoked duck breast, or the broad beans with ham and cuttlefish, focus on umami, bitterness, salt, and a touch of sweetness.

The restaurant occupies a historic mansion whose cellar was once used to make vinegars for personal consumption, and the dining room walls display jars of various products. There's a good wine cellar, with space for interesting wines from Granada, and a generous bread basket with a traditional Granadan pastry. Chechu González also makes his own vinegars and fermented products.