Ángel León loves the sea and each day he expresses that passion for the taste of the sea in his cooking. His is a modern approach to seafood based on ingredients drawn from the Atlantic Ocean which laps at the sides of his restaurant, the Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María (Cadiz). He does not consider himself a culinary prima donna, but rather a practical minded chef just doing his job – a job he loves and which allows him to make Andalusian cuisine known from Despeñaperros northwards.

The flavours of his childhood were those of milk and biscuits, and he says that the dish he would serve to his best friend would be a plateful of “papas” (potatoes) with olive oil”. A pestle and mortar and a few leaves of mint are never lacking in his kitchen, which he insists must be clean at absolutely all times and where he prepares his little works of art using products originating exclusively in Andalusia. León works in close collaboration with Huerta de Albalá, a 100% Andalusian family business which for years has been flying the flag for Andalusia around the world. “Vicente Taberner, the owner of Huerta de Albalá, has all my respect for producing a Cadiz red wine capable of holding its own against any good national wine. When we met he talked to me about making red wine in Cadiz and I had my doubts; little by little I watched the project grow until the day he opened his bodega. Obviously, that’s the wine that I offer most confidently in my restaurant, Taberner Normal and Reserva Número 1. Restaurant Aponiente (El Puerto de Santa María/ Cádiz). Tlf: (+34) 956 851 870.