Maca de Castro was captivated by the pleasures of good food at a very young age. Today, Mallorca-born chef De Castro has a gastro business group that consists of three restaurants and an event management company. Alongside three Repsol suns and a Michelin star, her eponymous restaurant in Port d’Alcúdia (Mallorca) has also been awarded a Michelin Green Star in recognition of its commitment to sustainability. “From the seed to the table” is her motto. Everything De Castro serves in her restaurant is defined by what is grown in her kitchen garden, “the common thread in her restaurants.”
What does Maca de Castro do in her free time?
I’ve got a small boat in a bay to the north of Port d’Alcúdia. I try to get away from things by sailing. I also really like being with my partner and enjoying our time together. We love travelling, discovering new cultures and trying new things.
Twenty-two years in the kitchen and it seems like all the awards are coming at once...
Since a few years back, but yes. It’s all a process. Everything comes in its own time and, after working non-stop for eighteen years, lots of awards started to arrive and things that you get thanks to the hard work of a great team. But particularly due to constancy and daily work.
What have the past few years been like, being in the media spotlight?
I find it hard, to be honest. But it also depends a bit on the atmosphere. Television and things like that... I don’t like being the star. I’ve always been like that, but I’m learning, slowly but surely.
Where are you from, where are you headed and where are you right now, in culinary terms?
We started out as a family project, with a restaurant I had with my brother. And now we’ve got a gastro business group that has three restaurants in Mallorca, a successful event management company, external consultancy projects... I aim to enjoy daily life, have a great time and keep things as simple as possible for the future. I think that, with everything that’s happened, everyone is living more in the moment. I’m happy because my family are all really well and good health is what matters most. Work comes and goes and money is the least of it, restaurants work well with hope and hard work, and the team also responds well too.
Where does your vocation come from? Who taught you to cook?
I wasn’t taught to cook. I was taught to eat. Ever since I was little, I went on foodie tours with my family. It’s more popular now, but it wasn’t when I was just five years old, my dad would get the car and drive us around the Peninsula. We went to see restaurants rather than museums. And I think that’s where my passion comes from. Because what I love is eating, having fun and good food. No one else in my family works as a chef, but as we enjoy eating so much, at home we’ve always had that curiosity.
I wasn’t taught to cook. I was taught to eat (...) What I love is eating, having fun and good food
Are you a self-taught or by the book sort of chef?
Definitely self-taught. I studied for a year but never finished. I went away to work to carry on learning. You have to take it one day at a time, and it’s important not to lose hope or your desire to learn.
How would you define your cooking?
My cooking is direct, simple and has soul. We work with local produce that takes us far. The kitchen garden is the common thread in everything we do, in terms of food and across the group. We follow a line that doesn't just focus on Mallorca, it’s open to the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean, and Mallorca, thanks to its location and for many other reasons, has a great deal of potential.
My cooking is direct, simple and has soul. We work with local produce that takes us far
Last year you were awarded a Green Star by the Michelin Guide. What does sustainability mean to you?
You shouldn’t think so much about sustainability as a word in itself. Sometimes it feels like a trend, like we’re starting to appropriate sustainability. We have to truly understand our resources to make full use of them, take great care with the team and everyone we’re in contact with. We were awarded the Green Star for work we’ve done using the kitchen garden, we shone a spotlight on it without knowing that we’d be given this award. But it needs to be honest work, not just wanting to show people something. Time will tell if we’re doing things well.
Do you think there’s a lot of virtue signalling in the sector?
Yes, I do. Maybe I’m digging a hole for myself, but yes. It will all come out because it’s a long-term process. Sustainability is a concept that’s bandied about so much now, but you have to work at it. And the work has to be done internally.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being on an island like Mallorca for your restaurants?
Insularity can teach you to be self-sufficient. We’re on an island and don’t have as many products from elsewhere as other places. We have to know our land really well, and the people who work it, and establish relationships. I’m certain that all the Balearic Islands could be self-sufficient.
I’m certain that all the Balearic Islands could be self-sufficient
How many people work for you?
There are 28 in winter and in summer we have between 70-75 people to cover everything we have planned. Because this year, events from 2020 and 2021 are coinciding...
How do you see yourself as a leader?
I’m very close to everyone. I like my relationship with the team to be informal, very balanced. I’m everyone’s friend. I don’t see bosses and non-bosses; I believe we all need the help of other people in the team. We’re a big family more than a team.
What’s your creative process?
During winter, I make notes of things that occur to me and, from February onwards, I get together with my sommelier, who works with us all year round, and with Marina, who is a big help with all the decisions made in the group... And lots of ideas flow out of these conversations. A fortnight before we open, we create all the dishes with the team. I used to think about the process a lot, but I actually think I work better with a little pressure. I need that stress of “we’ve got to open now” and to sweat it a little.