Rubén Amro
Executive chef at Koma and Cedro, twice Madrid and Spain cooking champion and Spain's 2022 Bocuse d'Or candidate.
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Rubén Amro is executive chef at restaurant Koma, in the Box Art hotel in Collado Mediano near Madrid, a post he's held since October 2018, and also directs the kitchen at Cedro in Navacerrada. A two-time Madrid and Spain cooking champion, he represented Spain at the Bocuse d'Or in Budapest in 2022, and has separately advised Triana, an Andalusian restaurant in Madrid, on adapting its menu, including its croquetas, for gluten-free dining.
Biography
Early years
Rubén Amro started young, winning his first cooking competition, Best Tortilla of Las Rozas, at age 14, and worked as an official chef for school camping trips and excursions from 14 to 18. He studied at the Escuela de Hostelería y Turismo de la Casa de Campo in Madrid and later completed a Dirección de Cocina qualification at Hotel Escuela and a Master's in Gastronomic Advisory at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, after leaving an agronomy degree unfinished.
Career
He began professionally as a kitchen assistant at Hotel Urban in Madrid in March 2007 under Joaquín Felipe, becoming the hotel's executive chef in August 2012. He placed second in the 2012 Madrid preselection for the Bocuse d'Or, then moved to Florida Park (2017-2019), where he won Best Chef of Madrid in the Makro ACYRE League and the Spain Championship at the IV Certamen Gastronómico FACYRE, both in 2017, followed by Spain's Most Innovative Fabada award in 2018. In October 2018 he became executive chef at restaurant Koma, in the Box Art hotel in Collado Mediano, where Koma has kept its selection in the Michelin Guide. While at Koma he won Madrid's Most Innovative Spanish Omelette award in 2019, then in 2020 won Spain's award for most innovative tapa with a buñuelo de cocido madrileño, plus a second Best Chef of Madrid and Spain Championship (VII Certamen Gastronómico FACYRE) double. He was named Spain's official Bocuse d'Or candidate for the 2022 Budapest competition, where his team placed 13th of 20. He now also directs Cedro, at the Box Art Alpino hotel in Navacerrada, which opened in October 2022, and has advised Restaurante Triana in Madrid on adapting its menu, including its croquetas, to be gluten-free.
Philosophy
Amro's cooking at Koma fuses tradition with vanguard touches and Asian influences. On adapting Triana's croquetas for a gluten-free menu, he has said the result stayed "creamy and tasty," with a coating that holds up without adding flavor and a juicy interior.
Restaurants
Elsewhere
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Editorial guides featuring Rubén Amro’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Best Chef of Madrid, Makro ACYRE League (2017)
- ·Spain Champion, IV Certamen Gastronómico FACYRE (2017)
- ·Most Innovative Fabada Award, Spain (2018)
- ·Most Innovative Spanish Omelette Award, Madrid (2019)
- ·Most Innovative Tapa Award, Spain (2020)
- ·Best Chef of Madrid, Makro ACYRE League (2020)
- ·Spain Champion, VII Certamen Gastronómico FACYRE (2020)
- ·Spain's Bocuse d'Or candidate (2022)
Frequently asked
Who is the chef connected to Triana in Madrid?
Rubén Amro, executive chef of restaurant Koma, has advised Triana on adapting its menu, including its croquetas, for gluten-free dining; he isn't Triana's day-to-day cook.
What awards has Rubén Amro won?
Best Chef of Madrid and Spain Champion twice, in 2017 and 2020, plus Spain's most innovative tapa award in 2020; he represented Spain at the Bocuse d'Or in Budapest in 2022.
Where does Rubén Amro work as head chef?
He's executive chef at restaurant Koma, in the Box Art hotel in Collado Mediano, since October 2018, and also directs Cedro at Box Art Alpino in Navacerrada.
Where did Rubén Amro train?
He studied at the Escuela de Hostelería y Turismo de la Casa de Campo in Madrid, later adding a Dirección de Cocina qualification and a Master's in Gastronomic Advisory at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
Has Koma received any recognition?
Koma has kept its selection in the Michelin Guide under Amro's leadership.
Was Rubén Amro Spain's Bocuse d'Or candidate?
Yes, he was named Spain's official candidate for the 2022 competition in Budapest, where his team placed 13th of 20.
Where did Rubén Amro start his career?
As a kitchen assistant at Hotel Urban in Madrid in March 2007, under chef Joaquín Felipe, becoming the hotel's executive chef in August 2012.