Carmen Carro
Head chef and co-owner of Taberna Pedraza in Madrid's Salamanca district, which she runs with co-chef Santiago Pedraza.
- Repsol Soles
1- Restaurants
- 2
Carmen Carro is the head chef and co-owner of Taberna Pedraza in Madrid's Salamanca district, which she opened in April 2014 with her husband and co-chef Santiago Pedraza. The restaurant holds one Sol Repsol and a Michelin Guide recommendation, and is best known for its cocido madrileño and tortilla de Betanzos. Carro was named Best Female Chef of Madrid at the 2018 Acyre awards, having retrained in cooking after working in tourism and human resources.
Biography
Early years
Carro holds a degree in Tourism and worked in Human Resources before an unexpected job loss during Spain's 2011 economic crisis led her to retrain in cooking. She completed roughly two years of professional culinary training across several restaurants, focusing on traditional Spanish recipes, technique, and kitchen organization.
Career
In April 2014, Carro and her husband Santiago Pedraza opened Taberna Pedraza on Calle Ibiza in Madrid, where she has run the kitchen since, while Santiago oversees the restaurant's grill. The restaurant moved to a bigger space on the same street in 2015, then to its current, larger home on Calle de Recoletos in the Salamanca district in 2019. Carro also leads Casa de Cocidos Carmen, a project dedicated to cocido madrileño. In August 2022 she and Santiago traveled to Chicago, coordinated with the Spanish Tourism Office in Los Angeles to promote Spanish cuisine, and taught chef Grant Achatz of Alinea how to make leche frita, a dessert he'd become curious about after watching Dabiz Muñoz prepare it.
Philosophy
Carro is known for fidelity to classical technique and precise seasoning, revising traditional Spanish dishes rather than chasing culinary trends. She makes every tortilla herself, using Chiclana potatoes and farm eggs no older than four days, no onion, finished with a semi-liquid interior, a method she learned at O'Pote mesón in Betanzos.
Restaurants
On Guidavera
1Elsewhere
1Accolades
- ·Best Female Chef of Madrid, XLVII Premios Gastronómicos Acyre (December 2018)
- ·Finalist, Best Iberian Ham Croqueta, Madrid Fusión (2015)
- ·Runner-up, World Croquette Championship
- ·Finalist, Spanish Potato Omelette (Tortilla) Championship
- ·Academic member, Academia de los Cocidos de España
- ·Metrópoli Award (2014, Taberna Pedraza)
- ·Millesimé Award for Best Gastronomic Concept (2015, Taberna Pedraza)
- ·One Sol Repsol (Taberna Pedraza)
- ·Michelin Guide recommendation (Taberna Pedraza)
Frequently asked
Does Carmen Carro have a Michelin star?
No. Taberna Pedraza carries one Sol Repsol and a Michelin Guide recommendation, but no Michelin star.
Who runs the kitchen at Taberna Pedraza?
Carmen Carro leads the kitchen alongside her husband and co-chef Santiago Pedraza, who runs the grill; the two opened the restaurant together in April 2014.
What is Carmen Carro known for?
Her cocido madrileño and croquetas de jamón ibérico, cooked with classical technique rather than trend-driven presentation. She was named Best Female Chef of Madrid in 2018.
Where is Taberna Pedraza located?
C. de Recoletos, 4, in Madrid's Salamanca district. The restaurant opened on Calle Ibiza in 2014 before moving to Recoletos in 2019.
Did Carmen Carro teach a Chicago chef to make a Spanish dessert?
Yes. In August 2022 she and Santiago Pedraza visited Grant Achatz's restaurant Alinea in Chicago and taught him to make leche frita, after he saw Dabiz Muñoz prepare it.
Does Carmen Carro run any other restaurants besides Taberna Pedraza?
Yes. She also leads Casa de Cocidos Carmen, a project focused on Madrid's traditional cocido stew.