Carme Ruscalleda
Catalan chef whose seven Michelin stars made her the most-decorated female chef in the world.
- Michelin stars
1- Repsol Soles
2- Restaurants
- 2
- Born
- 1952 · Sant Pol de Mar
Carme Ruscalleda is the most-decorated female chef in history, with seven Michelin stars across her career. Her three-star flagship Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar closed in 2018; her Tokyo restaurant closed in 2025. She remains gastronomic director at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, where she leads Moments (1 star, with her son Raül Balam as head chef) and the more casual Blanc.
From @carme.ruscalleda on Instagram
Demà, dimecres, arriba una de les grans cites de la gastronomia catalana: el lliurament dels Premis Nacionals de Gastronomia 2025. Compte enrere! Fem territori! #ACGN #PremisACGN2026
#avuidimarts 2/6/26 al @totesmoutv3 @som3cat amb la @hgmelero #hemparlat de #cuinadestiu #carbassons i #alberginies @toni.balam @raul_balam_ruscalleda @momentsrestaurantbarcelona @eljardidelsantpau @muriralves @cuinasantpau @cuinaburger @mercabarna.bcn @empresas_mercabarna_assocome @agem_fruitahorta
Dos días. Muchas historias. Un mismo objetivo ✨ Los MGA Gastronomic Awards 2026 han vuelto a demostrar que la gastronomía es mucho más que cocina y sala: es formación, inclusión, esfuerzo, talento y oportunidades. Durante las finales celebradas en Málaga hemos vivido momentos de emoción, aprendiza
Biography
Early years
Born on 7 April 1952 in Sant Pol de Mar, a small town on the Maresme coast north of Barcelona, Ruscalleda grew up in a farming and shopkeeping family. She studied charcuterie and commerce, and in 1975 married Toni Balam, the son of a local grocer. The couple ran a delicatessen in the town before opening their first restaurant.
Career
In 1988 she and Toni opened Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar. The first Michelin star arrived in 1991, the second in 1996, and the third in 2006 — making her the first Spanish woman to earn three stars and only the third woman in the world at that point. In 2009 she added a second Sant Pau in Tokyo (also reaching two stars), and that same year she joined Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona as gastronomic director of the new restaurant Moments, working alongside her son Raül Balam. Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar closed in October 2018 after thirty years. Sant Pau Tokyo closed in 2025. Moments held two Michelin stars from 2017 until late 2024, when the restaurant returned to one star.
Philosophy
Ruscalleda is associated with vegetable-led, hyper-seasonal Catalan cuisine rooted in the produce of the Maresme. Her menus avoid unnecessary fat and additives and lean on the kitchen-garden tradition of the Catalan coast — what she calls 'a healthy way of eating built around the Mediterranean.'
Accolades
- ·Seven Michelin stars across her career — the most ever earned by a female chef worldwide
- ·Three Michelin stars at Sant Pau (Sant Pol de Mar) from 2006 until its closure in 2018
- ·Two Michelin stars at Sant Pau Tokyo (closed 2025)
- ·Two Michelin stars at Moments (Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona) from 2017 to 2024
- ·First Spanish woman to earn three Michelin stars (2006)
- ·Gastronomic director of Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona since 2009
Frequently asked
How many Michelin stars does Carme Ruscalleda have?
Seven across her career — the most ever earned by a female chef in the world. Three came at her flagship Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar (2006–2018), two at Sant Pau Tokyo (closed 2025), and two at Moments at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona (2017–2024). In 2026 her active count is one star, at Moments, where Michelin returned the restaurant to a single star in November 2024.
Where can I eat Carme Ruscalleda's cuisine in Barcelona?
Two restaurants at Mandarin Oriental, both on Passeig de Gràcia. Moments is the formal tasting-menu space, with her son Raül Balam as head chef and Ruscalleda as gastronomic director (currently one Michelin star, two Repsol Soles). Blanc is the more casual concept under her culinary direction, re-launched in her name after a previous chapter under Ángel León.
Is Sant Pau still open?
No. Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar closed in October 2018 after thirty years of service. Sant Pau Tokyo, which she ran from 2004, closed in 2025.