Álex Sánchez
Visionary, methodical and discreetly revolutionary. Álex Sánchez, founder of The Chef, is the quiet strategist behind the hedonism that reigns in Ibiza’s most exclusive villas and superyachts. His firm has cemented the professionalisation of a sector which, 15 years ago, operated under the stigma of improvisation. From sketching the future in notebooks during his surfing days in Morocco to now leading a team of 150 people, his career is a testament to how rigour and foresight have raised the standards of private hospitality in the Balearic Islands.
Ibiza in winter has a different light. It’s a time of respite for almost everyone, except for those who understand that excellence is built when no one’s watching. Álex Sánchez (49) welcomes us with the calm energy of someone who has been mastering the flame for three decades. While the island sleeps, he moves forward. “This is a cycle where it seems that, when winter arrives, you should be more relaxed, but it’s precisely when I take the opportunity to move forward,” he confesses right at the start of the interview. And he’s right: in this sector, to stand still is to fall behind.
To understand the phenomenon that is The Chef, we need to rewind the tape a little. Long before managing a team of 150 people and coordinating private jets, Álex was a young chef with a surfboard under his arm and plenty of ideas in his head. The story has a romantic, almost cinematic feel to it: “I remember going surfing in Morocco and having notebooks where I was already designing the kitchen I have now, 15 years later,” he recounts with just the right touch of nostalgia.
That 18-year-old sensed something no one else could see. The private chef sector in Ibiza was, at that time, a “pirate” territory, informal and lacking in structure. After a trip to Australia to perfect his language and business skills, Álex returned with an obsession: to elevate the profession.
“It was unacceptable for us to work without a clear structure,” he recalls of his early days in 2012. What began in his room, managing bookings with directions based on “coloured stones along the way” to reach remote properties, is now a digitalised system with the precision of a Swiss watch.
But technology is merely the support structure; Álex insists that “the soul of The Chef is the people”. Moving from being “three friends cooking” to leading an operation with four business lines (Villas, Events, Yachts and Jets) has been the greatest challenge of his career: managing human talent.
“We work with very high-calibre professionals: head chefs from luxury hotels or Michelin-starred establishments, and managing those egos requires a great deal of social intelligence,” he admits. That’s where the most human and complex side of the brand lies. It’s not enough just to know how to cook; you have to know how to carry yourself. Álex has created a school of values where technical humility is the norm. “The people who think they know it all are the ones who usually get it wrong,” he states. His team cooks, yes, but they also read the room, respect privacy and solve problems long before the client knows they exist.
It’s not enough just to know how to cook; you have to know how to carry yourself
The Chef’s true commitment is to the integrity of the produce. His philosophy is a return to Mediterranean roots: fish that tastes of fish, vegetables that honour the land. “The client doesn’t want overly elaborate dishes; they prefer the very highest quality, such as a roast fish in the centre of the table,” he explains. It’s “a luxury that is understated, warm, and entirely unpretentious, yet one capable of transforming into an Asian-themed evening or an Ottolenghi-style feast should the occasion demand it”.
This ability to adapt, to read the client, and to provide exactly what is required has made his company the undisputed gold standard in the sector. But Álex remains cautious in the face of success.
Looking ahead to the 2026 season and reflecting on the competition that has emerged over the last decade, Álex stands by his principles. In a market increasingly cluttered with noise, the strength of The Chef remains unquestionable. As he puts it with almost poetic conviction: “great achievements are slow cooked and crafted in silence”.
Great achievements are slow cooked and crafted in silence
That silence is what has allowed him to build an empire of service without losing the essence of that boy who dreamed up kitchens facing the Moroccan Atlantic. Today, his legacy speaks for itself. “For almost 15 years we have set the course, expanded horizons and left our mark. The fact that others are following in our footsteps only proves that we’re on the right track. Our vision transcends the present and drives us towards a future without limits,” he says.
Ultimately, The Chef goes far beyond the label of a mere service company to champion the value of the craft. It’s proof that, even in the most demanding industry in the world, it’s possible to lead without losing your humanity. Álex Sánchez has achieved the most difficult thing: making a team of 150 people function with the warmth of a dinner among friends. And that honesty is undoubtedly the most exclusive dish on the menu.
