Rogelio Castro
Mexico City-born chef at Roge, fusing French classical technique with Mexican flavours in Madrid's Embajadores neighbourhood.
- Restaurants
- 1
Rogelio Castro is the chef at Roge, his own restaurant on Calle Conde de Romanones in Madrid's Embajadores neighbourhood. Born in Mexico City, he left a doctorate in international security, where he worked as a terrorism researcher alongside Spain's Guardia Civil, to train at Le Cordon Bleu and work at the two-Michelin-star DSTAgE before opening Roge, where he fuses French classical technique with Mexican flavours and Mediterranean sensibility.
Biography
Early years
Rogelio Castro is from Mexico City. He was pursuing a doctorate in international security in Madrid, working as a terrorism researcher and coordinator in security analysis alongside Spain's Guardia Civil, studying radicalization patterns and extremist manifestos.
Career
About four years before opening his restaurant, he left his doctoral studies, citing emotional exhaustion from the subject matter. He traces his turn to cooking to childhood family dinners at his grandmother's home in Mexico and to a period on Erasmus in Paris, where he came to see cooking as what he calls his true language. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu and worked at the two-Michelin-star restaurant DSTAgE, where he decided avant-garde gastronomy was not his path, before opening Roge on Calle Conde de Romanones in Madrid's Tirso de Molina area.
Philosophy
Castro fuses French classical technique with Mexican flavours and Mediterranean sensibility, following what he calls a "menos es mas" (less is more) approach that prioritises harmony and emotional connection, describing cooking as "an act of love." Dishes include duck with bigarade and chipotle sauce and corvina in green mole, and the room turns into a speakeasy at night.
Restaurants
Frequently asked
Who is the chef at Roge Madrid?
Rogelio Castro, born in Mexico City, trained at Le Cordon Bleu and worked at DSTAgE before opening Roge.
What did Rogelio Castro do before becoming a chef?
He was pursuing a doctorate in international security in Madrid, working as a terrorism researcher alongside Spain's Guardia Civil, before training at Le Cordon Bleu.
What kind of food does Roge serve?
French classical technique fused with Mexican flavours and Mediterranean sensibility.
Where is Roge Madrid located?
On Calle Conde de Romanones in Madrid's Embajadores neighbourhood, where the room turns into a speakeasy at night.
Where did Rogelio Castro train as a chef?
He trained at Le Cordon Bleu, then worked at DSTAgE, the two-Michelin-star restaurant in Madrid, before deciding avant-garde gastronomy was not his path.
Does Roge hold a Michelin star?
No, as of 2026 Roge holds no Michelin star or Repsol Sol; it is not currently listed in either guide.
What inspired Rogelio Castro to become a chef?
He traces it to childhood family dinners at his grandmother's home in Mexico and to a period on Erasmus in Paris, where he came to see cooking as his true language.