María de la O, a gastronomic expert in Granada's bar scene

It was she who, seeing his interest in that alchemy, suggested he enroll in the Granada School of Hospitality. “I didn’t even know it existed,” he confesses. At the time, Chechu was twenty years old, had half-finished his studies in Administration, and had a history in Granada’s indie scene. He played with two of his brothers in the Britpop band Especie Sub, and also owned, with one brother, the pub Segunda Edición, frequented by groups like Los Planetas and Niños Mutantes (with whom he even played drums).

When he started working as a cook, he became more grounded and left music for the weekends. He was head chef in several places. “I liked the profession, but at one point I felt stuck.” Approaching forty, he took a leap of faith and went to San Sebastián to study for a master's degree in creativity at the Basque Culinary Center. “It was a risky investment, because I had to quit my job and pay for my studies and living expenses, but it was the best decision I could have made,” he confesses.

Eager to continue absorbing knowledge, he worked in restaurants such as Suculent in Barcelona, ​​Kokotxa in San Sebastián or Compartir (Cadaqués), until he received the offer to return to Granada to lead the María de la O project.

While elsewhere culinary trendsetters debate the future of tasting menus, in Granada, a city of a thousand bars, a fine-dining restaurant is almost a cry of nonconformity. The few who embark on this path know they are swimming against the tide. Some burn out. The city has yet to see a Michelin star.

At María de la O, they dream of adding a macaron to the red plaque at the entrance that distinguishes them as a recommended establishment by the French guide. They are also proud of their Repsol Sun, but the star is the real challenge, and they are clearly pursuing it. They innovate, adjust, and introduce improvements. “Yes, we have approached the standards of a fine-dining restaurant with a tasting menu and meticulous presentation, but beyond it coinciding with the Michelin style, we are committed to it because we like it and because it is an offering that is not common in Granada,” Chechu explains.

María de la O offers two tasting menus: one with 13 courses (€93) and another with 10 (€78). Both highlight the chef's technique and talent for sauces, always exquisitely delicate and flavorful, and his mastery of the acidic palette. Chechu González is one of the great innovators of escabeche, and the memory of this stew-preserve, which arrived in Spanish cuisine with Al-Andalus, is almost a guiding thread throughout the menu and the element that connects a series of seemingly disparate inspirations: pomegranate, sauces, and acids. The latter is not only related to the chef's taste but also to the history of the 19th-century mansion that houses the restaurant, in whose cellar vinegars were once made for personal consumption. Chechu González also makes his own vinegars and fermented products. Jars of various products decorate the walls of the dining room, where the comfort and welcoming atmosphere provided by the white tablecloths are much appreciated.

The escabeche, transformed into a silky, light emulsion, appears in the oyster that opens the menu, inviting you to scrape up every last crumb. It returns, sweetened with a touch of orange, alongside raw Motril prawns. It reappears in a surf and turf dish of sturgeon and pickled chicken (again emulsified and balanced with a chicken demi-glace), and bids farewell in the first dessert: pickled strawberries with smoked cream. In other dishes, such as the Mozarabic monkfish, González goes straight for the freshness of citrus fruits. And of course, there are moments to take a break from the acidity. Courses such as the warm curd of fine shell, the confit endive with anchovy sauce and smoked duck breast, or the broad beans with ham and cuttlefish (a perfect and memorable tribute to an iconic preparation in Granada), focus more on umami, bitterness, salt, and a touch of sweetness.

There's a lot of culinary flair at Chechu González. There's thought, and a discourse that goes beyond what the waiters, who are enthusiastic and eager to please, can explain, even if their good work is sometimes hampered by the need to adhere to the rituals of a fine-dining restaurant. There's attention to both the essentials and the details: a good wine cellar (with space for interesting wines from Granada), and a generous basket of bread with a traditional Granada-style pastry included. The city of tapas can also boast options for those seeking a different experience, and González can be proud of having reached professional maturity while still retaining his inner child.

María de la O Address: Ctra. de la Sierra, 13, 18008.