Elena Arzak

Elena Arzak is the fourth-generation chef at Restaurante Arzak in San Sebastián, Spain, a family business founded in 1897 that earned its first Michelin star in 1974 and three stars in 1989, which it has held continuously. Born in 1969 in San Sebastián, she trained at the Schweizerische Hotelfachschule in Lucerne, Switzerland, and staged at renowned restaurants including Le Gavroche in London, La Maison Troisgros, Le Louis XV, and Pierre Gagnaire in France, and El Bulli in Spain before joining Arzak in the 1990s. She became joint head chef with her father Juan Mari Arzak in the late 2000s and now runs the kitchen almost entirely alone, maintaining the three Michelin stars while innovating on Basque cuisine.