Pablo Maldonado
Ecuadorian chef-founder of Chulla in Madrid, who trained under Rogelio Barahona and at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Belgium.
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Pablo Maldonado is an Ecuadorian chef from Quito who moved to Madrid at 18 and trained across French, Italian, Basque and Asturian kitchens, including time under chef Rogelio Barahona and a stage at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Belgium. In 2020, during the pandemic, he opened Chulla in Madrid's Las Rosas neighbourhood with business partner Mayra Gramal, reinterpreting Ecuadorian cuisine through fine-dining technique. Chulla earned a Guía Repsol Recommended designation in 2026 after first appearing in the guide in 2025.
Biography
Early years
Maldonado is from Quito, Ecuador. He also studied Fine Arts and Photography before moving to Madrid at 18.
Career
His first job in Madrid was at a fruit market in the Cuzco area, where he learned Spain's produce. A neighbor from the market brought him into her French restaurant, his first serious step into haute cuisine, and he went on to an Italian restaurant on La Coruña road, where he learned to make pasta. He trained under chef Rogelio Barahona in Basque cuisine, a period he credits with teaching him restraint and respect for ingredients, then worked at the Asturian restaurant Asgaya in Madrid and became head chef at Inclán. He completed a stage at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Belgium, where he says he learned constancy, discipline and love for the gastronomic art, and studied haute cuisine and pastry at the Casa de Campo culinary school, training further in Barcelona. During the pandemic, he and business partner Mayra Gramal found a small former neighbourhood bar in Las Rosas, near Barajas airport. Chulla opened in 2020 and was listed in the Guía Repsol from 2025, earning the guide's Recommended designation in 2026.
Philosophy
Describes his cooking as a way of demonstrating Ecuadorian culture through his culinary concept, running Ecuadorian staples like yuca, peanut, achiote oil and plantain through fine-dining technique alongside Mediterranean produce.
Restaurants
Accolades
- ·Guía Repsol Recommended, Chulla (2026)
Frequently asked
Who is the chef at Chulla?
Pablo Maldonado, an Ecuadorian chef from Quito who founded the restaurant in 2020, is the chef-owner.
Where did Pablo Maldonado train?
He trained under chef Rogelio Barahona in Basque cuisine and completed a stage at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Belgium before founding Chulla.
Where is Chulla located?
On Calle de Longares in Madrid's Rosas neighbourhood.
Where is Pablo Maldonado from?
Quito, Ecuador; he moved to Madrid at age 18.
When did Pablo Maldonado open Chulla?
In 2020, during the pandemic, with business partner Mayra Gramal, in a small former neighbourhood bar in Las Rosas.
Has Chulla been recognized by any guides?
Yes, it's been listed in the Guía Repsol since 2025 and earned the guide's Recommended designation in 2026.