Victor Arguinzoniz
Professional Jury - Spain
Víctor Arguinzoniz was born in 1960 in Axpe (Atxondo, Vizcaya). From a young age, he was infused with the aroma of firewood when his grandparents and mother cooked over low heat, in the style of many Basque farmhouses. With the idea of starting his own business, he worked as a lumberjack, but he had his sights set on the old bar in his hometown, which remained closed for eleven years until he acquired it in 1989. In 1990, he opened the Etxebarri grill, having taught himself to cook. From there, Víctor embarked on a path of innovation, always focused on embers. He began by replacing traditional charcoal with aromatic wood: holm oak for fish and shellfish, and old vine stumps or olive trees for meat. And he has ended up cooking unimaginable products using them: eggs, Asturian eels, beluga caviar, and even wonderful desserts with the aroma of embers. Arguinzoniz's culinary evolution has gone hand in hand with his own inventions for cooking over charcoal, such as the stainless steel rod grill that allows for effective and clean cooking, the double-ember grill, laser-perforated pans, steel grid pans... All this work has earned the Etxebarri barbecue a Michelin star, three Repsol suns, and an entry in 2008 on the list of the 50 best restaurants by Restaurant magazine, a British publication that recognized him as the best steakhouse in the world in 2013, and in 2017 elevated him to number 6 on its famous list, rising to third place in 2019. In addition, Arguinzoniz has received the National Gastronomy Award for Best Head Chef awarded by the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy.