Pablo Ballvé
Founder and chef of Quincé, a seasonal, product-driven restaurant in Madrid's Justicia neighbourhood, trained at the Basque Culinary Center.
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Pablo Ballvé is the founder and chef of Quincé, a seasonal Spanish restaurant on Calle de Barquillo in Madrid. Born in the United States and raised in Madrid, he's the grandson of Campofrío's founder. He studied business in Canada and hospitality in the Netherlands before training at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián, interning at La Tasquería under Javier Estévez, and working in kitchens tied to DiverXO, DSTAgE and Ramón Freixa. Ballvé opened Quincé in 2025, and the restaurant earned a Michelin Guide recommendation within six months.
Biography
Early years
Ballvé was born in the United States, which gave him dual nationality, and was raised in Madrid. He's the grandson of the founder of Spanish meat-products company Campofrío. As a child, the family's caregiver, from Extremadura, introduced him to traditional Spanish home cooking.
Career
He started a degree in business administration in Canada, then switched to study hospitality management in the Netherlands, before training at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián. He interned at La Tasquería under chef Javier Estévez, and worked in kitchens connected to DiverXO, DSTAgE and Ramón Freixa, as well as abroad at Blanco Colima in Mexico and Francie in Brooklyn. He also worked as a private chef. Ballvé returned to Madrid and opened Quincé on Calle de Barquillo in 2025, in the space that had held El Pepinillo de Barquillo, built around an open kitchen and a mobile bar with a surprise menu that changes weekly with the season. Within six months of opening, the restaurant earned a Michelin Guide recommendation.
Philosophy
Ballvé's cooking at Quincé is built around quality product, seasonality and wine rather than formality or spectacle: the open kitchen, dining room and central bar are designed to feel like one continuous conversation. He's said, "No me gusta que mi apellido tenga nada que ver con lo que soy," that he doesn't want his surname to define who he is, and has described the kitchen's approach as cooking what they want, how they want. The restaurant's mascot, a sunglasses-wearing pig named Venancio III (Veni for short), nods to zero-waste cooking and to the Ballvé family's Campofrío heritage.
Restaurants
Pablo Ballvé in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Pablo Ballvé’s restaurants.
Frequently asked
Who is the chef at Quincé in Madrid?
Pablo Ballvé, grandson of the founder of Campofrío, who studied business and hospitality before training at the Basque Culinary Center.
What cuisine does Quincé serve?
Seasonal Spanish cooking with a weekly-changing surprise menu, built around product and wine, in Madrid's Justicia neighbourhood.
Where was Pablo Ballvé born?
He was born in the United States, which gave him dual nationality, and was raised in Madrid.
Where did Pablo Ballvé train?
At the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián, with an internship at La Tasquería under Javier Estévez, plus kitchens connected to DiverXO, DSTAgE and Ramón Freixa.
When did Pablo Ballvé open Quincé?
In 2025, on Calle de Barquillo in Madrid's Justicia neighbourhood; it earned a Michelin Guide recommendation within six months.
Does Quincé have a Michelin star?
No, but it's a Michelin Guide recommended address, a recognition it earned within six months of opening in 2025.