Rodrigo de la Calle
Madrid-based 'green chef' whose El Invernadero is the world's #1 vegetable restaurant — Virens at Almanac Barcelona extends the project to Catalonia.
- Michelin stars
1- Repsol Soles
2- Restaurants
- 2
Rodrigo de la Calle is the Jaén-born 'green chef' whose Madrid restaurant El Invernadero holds one Michelin star and two Repsol Soles and is ranked the world's number-one vegetable restaurant by the We're Smart Green Guide. Virens at the Almanac Barcelona hotel extends the vegetable-forward 'Gastrobotany' concept to Catalonia and was named Best Discovered Restaurant in Spain in 2022.
From @rdelacalle on Instagram
Del producto al plato. Una forma de mostrar cómo cada ingrediente encuentra una nueva expresión en cocina sin perder su identidad. En Barbecho, cada elaboración parte del respeto por la temporada, el producto y todo lo que este puede llegar a ser en el plato. #Barbecho#RodrigoDeLaCalle #ProductoDe
Antes del plato, está el origen. Un producto, una temporada y una forma de entender la cocina desde el respeto a la tierra y al ingrediente. En este reel mostramos una parte esencial de la filosofía de El Invernadero: observar el producto en su entorno, entender su momento y trabajar cada elaborac
🥬🌊 Cazuela de Mejillones con Iceberg a la Crema Thai La lechuga iceberg no volverá a ser solo para ensaladas después de ver esta receta 👀 El chef verde, Estrella Michelin, Rodrigo de la Calle, lleva la iceberg de Mimaflor a otro nivel: cocinada con mejillones, crema aromática, cítricos y un toque
Biography
Early years
Born in Mogón, a small town in Jaén surrounded by vegetable gardens — the agricultural childhood that shaped his career. He is the son of a farmer and grandson of chefs.
Career
De la Calle opened his first restaurant, Aranjuez, in 2007, where he began introducing forgotten and unusual vegetable spices into his cooking. He is co-creator with botanist Santiago Orts of the 'Gastrobotany' concept — a deliberate framework for treating wild and cultivated plants as fine-dining product. In 2009 he was named Revelation Chef at Madrid Fusión; in 2010, Chef L'Avenir; in 2011 he received his first Michelin star and his second Repsol Sol. In 2014 he opened El Invernadero in Madrid, which is now ranked the world's number-one vegetable restaurant by the We're Smart Green Guide. Virens at the Almanac Barcelona hotel extends the project to Catalonia and was named Best Discovered Restaurant in Spain in 2022.
Philosophy
De la Calle's cooking treats vegetables — and increasingly cultivated and wild plants outside the conventional menu repertoire — as the centre of the plate. The 'Vegetalia' menu format at El Invernadero is built around this premise; Virens carries it to Barcelona with the same product-first approach.
Restaurants
Elsewhere
1Accolades
- ·1 Michelin star + 2 Repsol Soles at El Invernadero (Madrid) since 2011
- ·World's #1 Vegetable Restaurant — We're Smart Green Guide (El Invernadero)
- ·Best Discovered Restaurant in Spain (Virens Barcelona, 2022)
- ·Revelation Chef — Madrid Fusión (2009); Chef L'Avenir (2010)
Frequently asked
How many Michelin stars does Rodrigo de la Calle have?
One — at El Invernadero in Madrid, where the restaurant also holds two Repsol Soles. His Barcelona project Virens at Almanac Barcelona was named Best Discovered Restaurant in Spain in 2022.
Where can I eat Rodrigo de la Calle's cuisine in Barcelona?
Virens at the Almanac Barcelona hotel. The format extends the vegetable-forward 'green' cuisine of his Madrid flagship to Catalonia.