Jose María Kao
Second-generation chef of Shanghai Barcelona — the Kao family Chinese restaurant cited by Ferran Adrià as his preferred in the city.
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Jose María Kao is the second-generation chef of Shanghai Barcelona, joining the family restaurant in 1976. His father Kao Tze Chien arrived from Taiwan in 1957 to cook at Gran Dragón (Barcelona's first Chinese restaurant) and opened Pekín in 1964. Ferran Adrià has cited Shanghai as his preferred restaurant in the city. Shanghai carries a Repsol Recomendado distinction.
From @josemariakao on Instagram
Biography
Early years
Jose María is the son of Kao Tze Chien, a Taiwanese chef who arrived in Barcelona in 1957 to cook at Gran Dragón — the first Chinese restaurant in the city. In 1964 his father opened Pekín on Avinguda Diagonal, a restaurant that attracted bohemian artists and athletes interested in Oriental cuisine.
Career
Jose María joined the family business at Shanghai in 1976 and has been the kitchen chef ever since, alongside his wife Mercedes Santín on operations and his brother Luis as sommelier — the latter responsible for one of the most important wine collections in the country. Jose María and Luis are credited with the modernisation of Shanghai and the introduction of a culinary fusion that Ferran Adrià has cited as his preferred restaurant in Barcelona. The Kao group also runs Kao Dim Sum and Mr. Kao. Shanghai carries a Repsol Recomendado distinction.
Philosophy
Kao's cooking modernised the Chinese repertoire in Barcelona without abandoning regional authenticity. The kitchen draws from multiple regions of China and integrates Mediterranean touches where the product invites them — the dual cultural inheritance the family has cultivated since 1957.
Restaurants
Accolades
- ·Repsol Recomendado at Shanghai
- ·Ferran Adrià's cited 'preferred restaurant in Barcelona'
- ·Second-generation Kao-family chef (since 1976)
- ·Family lineage with Gran Dragón (Barcelona's first Chinese restaurant, 1957)
Frequently asked
Does Jose María Kao have a Michelin star?
No — Shanghai carries a Repsol Recomendado distinction. Ferran Adrià has cited it as his preferred restaurant in Barcelona.
Where can I eat Jose María Kao's cuisine in Barcelona?
Shanghai is the family flagship; the Kao group also runs Kao Dim Sum and Mr. Kao in Barcelona.
How long has the Kao family been cooking in Barcelona?
Since 1957, when Jose María's father Kao Tze Chien arrived from Taiwan to cook at Gran Dragón, Barcelona's first Chinese restaurant. The family opened Pekín on Avinguda Diagonal in 1964, and Jose María joined Shanghai in 1976.