Miguel Sánchez Romera, a unique figure in gastronomy, has recently returned to Catalonia after years of travelling between the United States and China. A neurologist, professor of food science and technology, and an artist in the kitchen, Sánchez Romera defines himself as “a doctor who cooks”. Born in Córdoba, Argentina, to Spanish immigrants, he arrived in Catalonia fleeing the Videla dictatorship.
With degrees in fine arts and medicine, he specialised in neurology, practising at Policlínica de Granollers. Simultaneously, driven by a passion for cooking since childhood, he opened L'Esguard restaurant in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres. The restaurant earned a Michelin star, where he developed a personal style of cooking that defied easy categorisation within the dominant schools of Catalan cuisine at the time.
The Brain's Resilience and Modern Stress
Sánchez Romera has dedicated 48 years to neurosciences. He believes that human life is centred in the brain, with all bodily manifestations and emotions originating there. He describes the brain as “almost perfect”, designed to adapt to any life situation, distinguishing humans from animals.
He explains that the brain understands stress and has mechanisms to avoid it through reasoning. There are two ways to combat fear: confronting it or fleeing. Both trigger an alarm state, which is stress. The brain recognises stress as harmful and seeks ways to exit that situation. However, repeated stress becomes self-aggression, potentially leading to inflammation, which is a product of progressive brain degeneration. Sánchez Romera notes that modern life often goes against the brain's intended function, leading to a way of living he finds deeply displeasing.
The Evolution of Catalan Cuisine
Sánchez Romera recalls the period between 1996, when he opened L'Esguard, and 2005, a “very beautiful” time for Catalan cuisine. He believes this intense and interesting era should have established more solid foundations for gastronomy, haute cuisine, and food as a phenomenon, but this did not happen.
He argues that Catalan cuisine, as an expression of its territory and people, is one of the most important in the country. He views cuisine as pure culture and shared social emotion, which should benefit society. He feels that while everything evolves, something essential has been lost from that period.
Respecting Culinary Origins
Sánchez Romera has always considered Girona's cuisine, specifically, to be one of the great cuisines of the Iberian Peninsula. As a doctor, he met many rural people whose connection to the land has since diminished. He highlights Catalonia's rich natural resources, including the sea, impressive pastures, rivers, lakes, and mountains, which provide everything needed for cooking. He advises careful consideration before transforming this cuisine, especially if using it as a pretext for innovation, to maintain respect for Catalan culinary culture.
He explains that Catalan cuisine is fundamentally a product of its territory and people. He learned about dishes like escalivada from farmers who made it over an open flame, representing its pure, natural origin. While escalivada has undergone many transformations, he believes this does not always represent creativity linked to culture, which is what he had hoped for. His own culinary expression, he says, came from respecting the essence and origins of Catalan cuisine.
Chef as Artisan, Not Artist
Sánchez Romera does not consider chefs to be artists. At best, he says, they can be artisans, creating high-level craftsmanship. Cuisine is a cultural manifestation and perhaps a major craft, but never an art form like painting or sculpture. He recounts a conversation with Salvador Dalí, who told him: “The day art approaches cuisine and can be eaten, there will be nothing greater.” For Sánchez Romera, cuisine can be a demonstration of reflective hedonism, but not a work of art.
Balancing Medicine and Gastronomy
Balancing his role as head of neurology in Granollers with being a Michelin-starred chef in Maresme was initially manageable. The first two years were quiet, and medicine was his serious priority, not a hobby. He notes that diagnostic techniques were very different then. When he gained recognition as a chef, he tried to convince patients it was not him, fearing it might affect the absolute faith patients place in their doctor. However, between 1998 and 2000, he realised he would eventually have to choose.
He felt like an anomaly in the culinary world. While the formula for success worked for some, his ethical and aesthetic code as a doctor, where neither doctor nor patient can lie, clashed with the grandiloquent epithets and self-promotion he observed in the media-driven culinary scene. He finds terms like “best restaurant in the world” absurd.
Sánchez Romera attributes the “fuss” in the culinary world to living in a time where things without evidence risk being captured by imagination. He believes ego has been superlative in cuisine, leading to an overvaluation of the chef's work. This created a very small world benefiting some, while others lost opportunities. He states he has never believed in victimhood, seeing himself as a fighter who has experienced two emigrations.
Looking ahead, Sánchez Romera's return to Catalonia suggests a renewed focus on his roots and perhaps a continued influence on the culinary and scientific communities, offering a unique perspective on food, health, and culture.
