Santi Falcón was born in Gran Canaria and raised in Lanzarote. As a kid, he was bored with studies until he discovered cooking. Today he is the head of the restaurant of one of the most charming hotels on the island, the César Lanzarote.
In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet, from Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, he shares his career path and previews part of the new restaurant menu.
- Where are you from?
I came from Gran Canaria when I was six years old and I grew up in Lanzarote. I was bored with studies and I was floundering until I fell into cooking. I studied at IES Zonzamas and there I realized that I liked it. The truth is that when I arrived at Zonzamas I was very bad at cooking.
- What did you discover when studying at Zonzamas?
That cooking is very beautiful. When you study gastronomy you understand a little how the sector is and the truth is that it is sacrificed, but very beautiful. I have lived precious moments in the restaurants where I have been.
- In which restaurants have you worked before joining César Lanzarote?
I started with internships at Lilium and later I worked at La Tegala. From there I went to Kentia, at the La Isla y el Mar hotel and then to Kaori at Fariones.
- How do you land at César Lanzarote?
Through some friends I had met working in other restaurants. It was very recent, they opened in October 2023 and I started in January 2024.
When they showed me the place, I didn't know it, I didn't know it was a historic house, the house of César Manrique's father. I loved the project, there was a great team in the kitchen.
- Did you start as head chef?
I started as a party chief and after two months, they were looking for a head chef and they bet on me.
- And you are launching a new menu...
Yes, when I arrived, we had the advice of a man as respected as Juanjo López, from La Tasquita, in Madrid, so we had a path to follow.
Now we are precisely in the process of disengaging a little from him because he already considers that we can walk alone, so to speak. So we are going to start doing different things.
- Can people who are not staying at the hotel access the restaurant?
Yes, of course. We have external service for lunches, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and for dinners, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Can you explain some of the new dishes?
Yes, of course, look, for example, for starters I have an aguachile made with horse mackerel from Lanzarote and lentil hummus from Lanzarote with curry.
- Is there a tasting menu?
Yes, we have it and it changes quite a bit, because we use what we have in season. Also, if a customer books well in advance, we can make personalized menus.