Chef Adrian Quetglas – Introduced Spanish and Mediterranean Cuisine to Russians

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Doce Uvas stands for the “twelve grapes of luck,” and this is a tradition that came from Spain. It says that if you eat one grape for each chime of the clock on December 31, you will be very prosperous and lucky come the next years. Tradition or not, but Doce Uvas of Russia was indeed very lucky this year as they were named as the 85th best restaurant of the world by San Pellegrino. Doce Uvas is a restaurant that is being headed by the very skillful Chef Adrian Quetglas.

Chef Quetglas was born in Argentina; however, he left the country with his family and grew up in the Isle of Majorca. Unlike other chefs who grew up loving the art of preparing and cooking food, he was not that interested in it. However, food is at the core of their family tradition, and they would always spend dinners together as a family. Because his father was Spanish and his mother was Argentinean, their family dishes would always be a combination of these two cuisines.

The calling to become a chef came when he was 19 years old. His grandmother cooks for a restaurant, and one day, one of her cooks was not able to make it. She asked for his help in the kitchen, and he fell in love with the work. His grandmother then told him that if he wanted to make a name for himself as a chef, he has to study how to be one.

He first wanted to enroll at the San Sebastian culinary school; however, he ended up moving to Paris where he underwent his culinary education and apprenticeship. After receiving his diploma, he then went to work at some of the fine-dining restaurants in the city where he got to improve his basic knowledge in cooking as well as polish his skill in classical French cuisine. He went to work with chefs such as Chef Marco Pierre White in London and Chef Marc Fosh back in Mallorca. It was with Chef Fosh that he learned how to cook Mediterranean cuisine, and because of his culinary skill, he soon rose through the ranks of Chef Fosh’ kitchens and became not only the sous chef but also the “right-hand man.” In fact, Chef Fosh would often consult him when it comes to creating new dishes.

It was a visit by one of the Russian restaurateurs that he ended up in Moscow. The Russian investors wanted to invite Michelin-starred chefs to Moscow, so they came to Mallorca to tempt Chef Fosh, who has a Michelin star under his belt, to open a restaurant in Russia. The offer tempted Chef Fosh that they opened Cipollino, with Chef Quetglas as its head chef.

After five very successful and very fruitful years in Cipollino, he finally decided to launch his own restaurant, Doce Uvas. His aim was to introduce Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine to Russians, and it seems like he is doing something really good that barely a year after first opening their doors to the public, Doce Uvas was named as the 85th best restaurant of the world by San Pellegino.

Chef Adrian Quetglas’ Paella with Seafood

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