Pedro Antonio Noriega Galguera
Participating Chef - Asturias, Spain
Pedro (Pello)'s first contact with cooking was, oddly enough, a punishment. As a young man, he preferred fishing and other adventures to books, and his parents decided that, as a lesson, he would help out at his aunt's hotel restaurant, El Migal, in his hometown of Cué.
After three summers, that punishment became his profession. He studied at the Llanes School of Hospitality and started working at El Corral del Indianu with José Antonio Campoviejo, then at L'Alezna with Pedro Martino, and at Deloya with Javier Loya, all great restaurants in Asturias.
In 2014, he created Castru El Gaiteru and evolved his approach to grilling, a skill he has mastered. His work was recognized in 2017 when he was a finalist for the Madrid Fusión Breakthrough Chef Award and won the Audience Choice Award, which provided recognition and allowed him to expand his horizons toward more evocative cuisine.