Ramón Freixa. Sol Post & Cala Saona | Formentera. A happy chef with the landscape on his plate

Ramón Freixa (Barcelona, 1971) has been spending his summers on the Pityusic Islands for almost 18 years. Two Michelin stars, three Repsol Suns, restaurants in Madrid, Cartagena de Indias and, in the near future, Porto. Someone with such a CV could have opened a restaurant in Formentera years ago, yet he has waited until he found the right project, the right partner and the right moment. This summer, the Hotel Cala Saona is hosting two concepts bearing his name: the Cala Saona Ramón Freixa restaurant for lunchtime dining, a stylish beach bar overlooking the sea, and Sol Post Ramón Freixa in the evening, a fine-dining establishment where the island’s landscape comes alive on the plate through a tasting menu rooted in the land.

You’ve been spending your summers on these islands for almost 18 years. Why Formentera and why now?
There had always been attempts, projects that emerged and were scrapped for one reason or another. When the opportunity arose with the Hotel Cala Saona and the Platé family, it was love at first sight. They are family, there’s a good vibe and we were all looking for the same thing: a robust, long-term project. This year will be about finding our feet, but our ambitions are great. When I go to Cala Saona, I feel like one of the family, not a stranger. And that’s very important, it’s a feeling they really make you a part of.

Tell us the difference between the two concepts.
When I saw that space in the hotel facing the sea, I thought: this isn’t something for the restaurant; this has to be the place. Cala Saona has to have that stylish beach bar where you feel at ease, looking out at the sea and this cove, which for me is one of the most beautiful in Formentera. The menu is pretty much what I like to eat when I come here: fish, sharing dishes and a good rice dish. That kind of comforting cooking, well-executed, where the produce takes centre stage. And then there’s Sol Post. There, the produce also takes centre stage, but we’ve drawn the menu from the terres margantes, as Formentera is known; those harsh, bitter lands that are steeped in history and brimming with local produce. We’ve tied the menu entirely to the land. We don’t do anything forced, it’s all very organic. The landscape comes alive on the plate.

What’s it like working with local suppliers and producers?
I enjoy that research work, and as I’d already been spending my summers here, I already had some familiarity with local suppliers, so it’s been relatively quick. When you explain the project to them, everyone gets excited. The fact that someone wants to champion local produce in Formentera is something people really appreciate, because it’s not easy. Even to the baker at Forn Can Manolo, I say, “Pedro, why should I make bread when you have such wonderful bread made from xeixa flour? Let’s give value to that bakery so it doesn’t disappear. I always say that we need to give value to what is local so that it can then become global. So that people say: “There is excellent produce in Formentera”.

We need to give value to what is local so that it can then become global

You have restaurants in Madrid, in Cartagena de Indias, a catering service at the Teatro Real and now Formentera, with Porto already on the horizon. How do you manage all that?
By having good, well-trained teams in each establishment. That’s the key. I always say I have many right hands; without them, none of this would be possible. As for Porto, we’re opening on Avenida Boavista, in a new hotel.

Where is your ceiling?
The ceiling is in the sky, in that starry sky of Formentera where you can see the stars every night, and that’s wonderful.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Joyful. My cuisine is joyful and very much rooted in place. I always say two things that, for me, sum it all up: without tradition, there can be no avant-garde.

And in a single word, how would you describe yourself?
Happy. I’m a happy chef. If I had to choose an adjective, that’d be it. Happy.

Ramón Freixa brings the conversation to a close with the calmness of someone who has found exactly the place he was looking for. A two-Michelin-starred chef who has been spending his summers on these islands for almost two decades and who has waited as long as it took to get things right. Sol Post opens its doors when the Mediterranean is at its most intimate, when the light softens and the horizon is tinged with subtle hues. And there, facing one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world, Ramón Freixa serves up Formentera on a plate -— and happiness.