Paco Roncero

Paco Roncero was born in Madrid in 1969 and trained at the city’s School of Hospitality and Tourism. His professional journey is deeply intertwined with the city that raised him. In 1991, he joined the team at the Casino de Madrid, one of the capital’s most iconic private clubs, located on Calle Alcalá. By the year 2000, he was appointed Culinary Director, overseeing all gastronomic offerings under the management of Minor Hotels Europe & Americas.

During his early years at the helm, he led a complete culinary transformation that earned the restaurant its first MICHELIN Star in 2002, followed by a coveted second in 2010. In 2019, the project naturally evolved into Paco Roncero Restaurante, a space that intimately and honestly reflects the personality, talent, and trajectory of its chef.

Roncero’s cuisine is grounded in a deep sense of place and origin, yet it always looks ahead with curiosity and ambition. His vision of Madrid is one of someone who has lived it from the inside—its traditional flavors, its ever-evolving modern identity. Like the city itself, Roncero understands that past and future do not oppose each other; they feed and enrich one another.

His innovative spirit was recognized in 2005 with the Chef L’Avenir Award from the International Academy of Gastronomy, and in 2006—an exceptional year in his career—he received one of Spain’s most prestigious accolades: the National Gastronomy Award, granted by the Royal Spanish Academy of Gastronomy.

Roncero is also the creator of several acclaimed gastronomic concepts including Sublimotion by Paco Roncero (Ibiza, Dubai, Saudi Arabia), Estado Puro (Madrid, Shanghai), Gastrohub, ‘O’ by Paco Roncero, and Paco Roncero by the Beach, among many other projects.

In 2020, Paco Roncero was ranked among the Top 100 Chefs in the World by the international The Best Chef Awards, debuting at number 71. In 2021, he rose to number 45, and in 2022, reached position 36. He is one of only 97 chefs worldwide to have earned the distinction of three knives in this prestigious list.

Within the NH Collection Real Casino de Madrid, he also leads Paco Roncero Catering—an extension of his mission to bring high-quality cuisine to any corner of the world.

Among his many contributions to the modern culinary scene is the development of Gestor de Cocina, a software tool designed to improve performance and efficiency in professional kitchens. He has also published six books to date: Tapas del Siglo XXI, Bocadillos y Ensaladas, Tapas en Estado Puro (all published by Everest), Correr, cocinar y ser feliz (Ediciones B), Sublimotion (Editorial Planeta), and his most recent work: La insurrección silente del chef Paco Roncero (Montagud Editores).