Pepe Vieira

Chef at Pepe Vieira* (Poio, Pontevedra, Spain)

Xosé T. Cannas, better known as Pepe Vieira, delves into the roots of Galician tradition, culture and cookery to produce a new kind of gastronomy with all its nuances.

With an interest in tourism, after studying tourism activities in Santiago de Compostela, Pepe went to Canada to learn English, but came back with not only the language under his belt, but also a new love: cooking. He worked at The Checkers restaurant, and it was there his cookery passion was aroused. He then moved on to other restaurants, in the United Kingdom and France, until he set up his own business with his brother, sommelier Xoan Cannas.

He has now won recognition as one of the standard-bearers of new Galician cuisine, with a track record including the 2002 Premio ao Mellor Cociñeiro Galego for best Galician chef, and in 2004 he joined the team of head chefs at the Centro Superior de Hostelaría de Galicia, where he worked for several years. He is also one of the founders of Grupo Nove, created to publicise Galicia’s gastronomic culture and showcase signature cuisine.

At his restaurant, Pepe Vieira dares to venture into recipes exploring other tastes with local products, combining tradition and state-of-the-art, seeking cuisine with a sense of identity, and this has won him a Michelin Star and two Repsol “Soles”. He also works from the perspective of sustainable ideas, which this year earned him the Michelin Green Star.