Chef Dani García shares a personal take on what cooking means to him, from his connection to Spanish cuisine to a defining childhood memory and a dream of learning sushi.
Freshly made gambas al pilpil (sizzling prawns in olive oil) and a good piece of bread to dip in it. I don’t need anything else. When something is truly simple, it’s enough.
Watching my grandmother fry fish at home. The smell, the simplicity…that’s when I understood that cooking has more to do with emotion than with technique.
It's so natural. Spanish cuisine means cooking without disguise. It’s a beautiful combination of product, fire, and truth. Spain cooks with soul, not with artifice.
More than restaurants, I would love to learn how to make sushi in one of the great omakase spots in Tokyo. It would be a dream to start from zero again, with my hands.
Olive oil. It’s the starting point of almost everything in my cooking.
The Chef
Dani García is a Spanish chef with an international profile and a diverse portfolio of restaurant concepts. He is known for his innovative approach to popularizing Andalusian cuisine around the world, blending traditional flavors with modern techniques. A Michelin-recognized culinary talent, García earned international acclaim with his three-star Marbella restaurant, Dani García Restaurante, before shifting his focus to more accessible dining concepts worldwide. His restaurant ventures now grace a variety of major cities, including Casa Dani in New York, a Mediterranean-inspired space that introduces American diners to Andalusian flavors with a sophisticated yet welcoming touch.
