Ricard Camarena, the first illycaffè Spanish Chef Ambassador join other Michelin stars for coffee experience
June 22- 2023
Coffee Geography Magazine
illycaffè, a prominent Italian coffee company, introduced Ricard Camarena to join the two Michelin-starred and Green-starred chef, who this year has entered for the first time the list of the 100 best restaurants in the world, to the roster of the illy Chef Ambassador project, the initiative dedicated to lovers of coffee and fine dining for which Camarena will become the first Spanish ambassador of the brand.
Chef Camarena will have the opportunity to combine the ingredients that make up the illy blend - 9 of the best single-origin Arabica variety – to create his own personal brew, a unique blend that reflects illy's values of sustainability and the utmost quality. Each one of the Michelin-starred chefs involved in the project will create their own "custom-made" coffee.
Following in the footsteps of Niko Romito, Viki Geunes, Antonia Klugmann, Ciccio Sultano, Rupert Blease, Massimo Bottura, Andrea Berton and other leading lights of international fine dining, Ricard Camarena will take his turn at combining these ingredients in different quantities and proportions, achieving a balance that best reflects his own style and personal sensorial, taste, and aroma preferences.
If every great Chef has a great menu, they also now have their own bespoke coffee best adapted to their personal style of cooking: the final product will be made available as a unique experience closing out the tasting menu of his five restaurants in Valencia - Ricard Camarena Restaurant, Canalla Bistro, Central Bar, BAR X y HABITUAL.
Sustainability and premium quality unites Ricard Camarena's cuisine with illycaffè.
"We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Ricard Camarena, a Spanish chef committed to its land and raw materials, and with whom we share a constant search for perfection" commented Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè. "This partnership is born out of our shared values of excellence, which we aim to offer to our customers, both when they are enjoying a great coffee and when they sit down at the table, for a flawless experience that strives for absolute quality".
"We signed this collaboration with illycaffè because we share values such as the constant search for sustainability, good relationship with our suppliers and excellence in the raw materials we use. I am very excited by the fact that I can customize my own coffee blend, since I like to participate in projects from the beginning. We have always given great importance to coffee in our restaurants and we want it to become the ideal complement to our cuisine. I am honoured to start this important collaboration with illycaffè" says Chef Ricard Camarena.
The illy Chef Ambassador project, launched in 2017, aims to involve fine dining professionals with whom illycafe works for the utmost quality of its coffee and these sustainable chefs are awarded with the Green Star by the Michelin Guide, and illy's Masters of Excellence, Ricard Camarena.
The Spanish chef Ricard Camarena creates a cuisine marked by local products from the Mediterranean that come from the fishmongers near Valencia and from the green grocers of nearby farmers who grow vegetables, exclusively for him and his five restaurants. His food approach is characterized by taste and seasonal food, with so much respect for the product. Camarena has been able to innovate and develop with innovative techniques, taking advantage of all the ingredients to create new dishes, cocktails, drinks and sauces. Zero waste is in his DNA and he applies it in all his restaurants.
The Valencian chef, Ricard Camarena has two Michelin Stars, a Green Star for Sustainability and three Repsol Suns for 'Ricard Camarena Restaurant'. It also ranks 96th on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list and is considered the eighth best vegetable restaurant in the world by the Smart Green Guide. Ricard Camarena Restaurant is a gastronomic space that opened its doors in June 2017 in the 'Bombas Gens Center d'Art' and runs other venues such as the Canalla Bistro (with eclectic cuisine in the Ruzafa neighborhood); the Central Bar of the Central Market of Valencia, the HABITUAL (with a gastronomic vision of the entire Mediterranean in the Mercado de Colón) and BAR X, also in the Mercado de Colón where it updates traditional Valencian flavours.