Luis Callealta

Chef at Ciclo (Cádiz, Spain)

So loyal is he to seasonal produce that he even defines it as ‘cycle produce’, like the name of his restaurant. There are no whims when he cooks, you eat what the calendar dictates.

Luis Callealta was born in Cádiz and experienced the restaurant industry up close as his grandfather was head chef at the Hotel Atlántico. Although he began studying business administration, in the end, the family vocation beckoned and he left to go to cooking school in Cádiz. His internship was at one of Spain’s gastronomic temples, the restaurant of Martín Berasategui, who also sent Luis to train with the Roca brothers in Girona.

After five years with Berasategui, Callealta returned home making a grand entrance by starting out at Aponiente with Ángel León. At Aponiente he learned about the Chef of Sea’s entire evolution, rising to the position of group gastronomic director, a job he left to set up his own project: Ciclo.

With the support of his wife, Rocío Maña, he has just opened this restaurant in the Santa María neighbourhood in the city of Cádiz, where he grew up. At Ciclo, Callealta is keen to put farmers and producers in the spotlight, and his menu also features the most traditional local recipes.