Inspired by the sea and the moon - chefs Ángel Léon and Mauro Colagreco created a once in a lifetime dinner.
With sustainability and customer experience at the heart of most businesses, two of the world’s most renowned chefs created a once in a lifetime dinner inspired by the influence of the sea and the moon. The menu of Mare Luna highlighted the vital connection between cooking and nature through the use of local products from the Mediterranean to call attention to its beauty.
Ángel Léon from Aponiente and Mauro Colagreco gathered at restaurant Mirazur where, through their creations, they invited guests to travel to the heart of marine biodiversity, to therhythm of the waves, to the currents and the influences of the moon.
Ángel León and Mauro Colagreco have always shared a commitment to the environment and sustainable development. From the culinary to the tailor-made sommellerie experience for this special evening, everything was thought and linked to a common aim to showcase the richness of the sea and to celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8th 2022.
Lead by both chefs, Aponiente and Mirazur teams answered the call launched by the association Stand Up for the Planet and went to clean up the nearby beaches at the border between France and Italy. This action aimed to sensibilise as many people as possible to fight against ocean pollution.
According to León, "I wanted to offer our special guests the opportunity to open their minds to new flavors and to a sea that keeps so many proteins that we do not eat yet. We wanted to tell our story and about one of the ingredients we use the most in Aponiente, which is marine plankton. We consider it fundamental because thanks to it we breathe. And if you ask me what the sea tastes like, I would tell you that the sea tastes like plankton."
“This dinner and collaboration were full in energy. It was so important for me, for us, to stand for the Ocean Day, through positives and poetics actions. As Chefs we’ve the role to take actions and transmit to people our knowledges about the products and their impacts. Oceans are the heart of the planet, a gold mine. This dinner, this day, was an ode to Oceans”, explains Mauro Colagreco.
“With our feet in the Mediterranean and our eyes captivated by a thousand blue tones, we are happy to share with our guests this evening designed to honor the sea" could be read on the special menu designed for this extraordinary Four Hands experience.
Sustainable haute cuisine is a hallmark at Aponiente and Mirazur alike, and each restaurant is an international point of reference in this regard. Sustainable fishing and an evolved view of certain species, which have historically been rejected, are defining characteristics of the Chef of the Sea’s culinary creations. What’s more, León has been awarded the Green Michelin Star for leading the way in efforts to revive the area where his restaurant is located, breathing new life into the Bahía de Cádiz. His commitment to our planet’s future has also led him to organize “Despesques”, a global chefs gathering and debate forum on sustainability.
As for Mirazur, it is the first restaurant in the world to be certified as being 100% Plastic Free. In addition, it has worked tirelessly to renovate its setting through the surrounding gardens, which now feature hundreds of types of flowers, aromatic herbs, vegetables, greens and more, thus ensuring the freshest and highest quality produce.Of note is the research and development that has gone into recovering native vegetable seeds in danger of extinction, and the cultivation of vegetable species from other continents (mainly South America) and latitudes, in an effort to erase borders.