Juanlu Fernández

Chef at LÚ, Cocina y Alma** (Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain)

LÚ is Juanlu's ultimate expression as a chef, where he showcases his French-influenced cuisine. He describes it as 'an academic cuisine that has been partly lost in today's avant-garde'. He wants to 'recover and update it with Andalusian touches'.

Juanlu Fernández began his career at the age of 13 in a bakery, where he first encountered the ingredients that would shape his culinary training. He then worked in an artisan pastry shop, before starting in the kitchen of the Hipotels chain in Chiclana at the age of 17. It was there that he fell in love with cooking as a profession. A year later, he met Martín Berasategui and moved to Lasarte to learn from the Basque chef. He absorbed everything he could from him about technique, precision and determination. At 23, he returned to Cádiz and rose to prominence at Aponiente, joining as head chef. Aged 33, he decided to strike out on his own, opening LÚ Cocina y Alma in his hometown of Jerez de la Frontera.

During the pandemic, Juanlu opened two new concepts in Jerez: Bina Bar, a casual venue with a carefully curated menu of classic dishes with his personal twist, and Krombol, a charming space offering everything from exquisite cakes and desserts to healthy breakfast options.

As a gastronomic advisor at the Royal Hideaway hotel in Sancti Petri, he oversees the culinary offeringsat the Chez Lumière restaurant, a select brasserie on the beachfront. In Vejer,, at the L'Apéro hotel, Juanlu directs the terrace offering.