Interview | Guía Michelin
In-depth Michelin Guide conversation.
The MICHELIN Guide sat down with Paulo Airaudo for its Cara a cara portrait series, a conversation tracing the chef's path from washing dishes to leading one of the most international restaurant groups in fine dining. Born in Córdoba, Argentina, in 1985, Airaudo built his work around Amelia by Paulo Airaudo, his two-Star flagship at the Hotel Villa Favorita on the Bahía de La Concha in Donostia-San Sebastián.
The exchange moves through his beginnings, his references, his approach to seasonality and conscious gastronomy, and the family balance the profession demands. Asked what the MICHELIN Stars mean to him, he was characteristically direct.
It is the greatest recognition we can have in this career. The hardest part is not earning it, but keeping it, and that demands giving your best every day.
The interview also situates the wider group, from iBAi and Aleia in Spain to Noi in Hong Kong, all gravitating around the philosophy he keeps at its centre: source the best possible product, and never lose sight of the guest the work is for.