THE CATALAN CHEF ARRIVES IN JEREZ TO HOST A BIKINI PARTY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT KROMBOL, BEFORE COOKING ALONGSIDE JUANLU FERNÁNDEZ AT LÚ THE FOLLOWING DAY
AITOR ARREGI AND PABLO VICARI WILL FOLLOW IN OCTOBER, BEFORE THE PROJECT BRINGS ITS FIRST EDITION TO A CLOSE IN DECEMBER BY RETURNING TO ITS ROOTS WITH A TRIBUTE TO JEREZ’S TRADITIONAL FEMALE COOKS
What began as a celebration of “El Duende” — understood as a creative impulse and a shared culture — has, just a few months after its launch, become one of the most distinctive gastronomic projects on Spain’s culinary scene. Created by Juanlu Fernández and Dolce Nilda, El Duende X has brought some of the world’s most influential chefs to Jerez to cook, share knowledge and introduce the public to different ways of understanding gastronomy.
The project was born from a desire to turn cooking into a language capable of connecting people and cultures, and of creating truly unique moments. That spirit that has been present in every edition held to date. The series began in February with Jordi Roca, one of the most creative and innovative minds in Spanish gastronomy, who brought to Jerez an approach to cooking defined by imagination and creative freedom. In April, chef Janaina Torres followed, bringing the energy, warmth, and generosity that have made her one of the most influential voices in contemporary Latin American gastronomy. Her visit created an extraordinary cultural exchange between Brazil and Andalusia. Then, in June, came chef Karime López, the first Mexican woman to earn a MICHELIN Star. Together, their explored the flavours, colours, and culinary identity of Mexico through her elegant, contemporary cuisine.
Three chefs with entirely different careers, cultures, and styles, yet all sharing the same approach to gastronomy: cooking with sensitivity, sharing with generosity and leaving a lasting impression long after the experience is over. That is precisely the spirit of El Duende X.
Next week, El Duende X enters the final stretch of its first edition. Three dates remain on the programme, each showing that duende can be expressed in different ways, but always through cooking.
The first of these events will begin on 24 September with the arrival in Jerez of Albert Adrià (Enigma, 2 MICHELIN Stars, No. 34 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, 2 Repsol Suns). A key figure in global creative cuisine, Adrià played an essential role in the gastronomic revolution that transformed Spanish cooking over recent decades. For Juanlu, his participation also has a deeply personal meaning: “For me, it is a dream come true to welcome to Jerez one of the great figures who has shaped the way I understand creativity.”
The programme will begin at 10.00 am at Krombol (C/ José Cádiz Salvatierra, 7D) with a Bikini Party open to the public. Albert Adrià was one of the first chefs to reinvent the bikini — the classic Catalan toasted ham and cheese sandwich found in restaurants, bars, and homes — and take it into the world of haute cuisine. Guests will have the chance to try some of the recipes he has created around this simple classic, showing how even the most familiar food can become a space for creativity.
The following day, Friday 25 September, Albert will cook alongside Juanlu at LÚ for a special collaborative dinner. For Juanlu, welcoming Albert into his restaurant and cooking together with their teams will be a dream come true. Albert has long been a major influence on his approach to creativity and cooking.
In October, it will be the turn for Aitor Arregi and Pablo Vicari, from Elkano (1 MICHELIN Star, No. 24 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, 3 Repsol Suns) and Cataria (1 Repsol Sun). Both are leading figures in ingredient-led cooking and grilling. Juanlu, who has long admired Aitor, sees their visit as an opportunity to explore an area less familiar to his cuisine: “For my team and me, it is a challenge to step into the world of grilling — a technique that does not usually form part of our cooking — guided by those I consider true masters of fire.”
Their time in Jerez will include two very different experiences. On Wednesday 14 October, they will host an exclusive dinner among the vineyards. The following day, Thursday 15 October, they will take over Bina Bar(Calle José Cádiz Salvatierra, 7D). Further details will be announced shortly through the venues’ official channels.
The first of these dates will capture the spirit of El Duende X in a special way. A grill will be lit with vine cuttings in the heart of a Jerez vineyard, bringing together two culinary traditions, two regions and a shared respect for product.
It is a scene Juanlu has long dreamed of creating. Aitor and the teams from Elkano and Cataria will bring their expertise to the vineyards of Jerez, connecting their approach to fire and grilling with the city’s wine culture.
More than a series of gastronomic events, El Duende X has become a cultural project that celebrates cooking as a universal language capable of bringing people and places together. It is an open conversation between those who keep tradition alive and those shaping the future of gastronomy, always driven by that impulse that is so difficult to explain, yet so easy to recognise: duende.
The first edition of El Duende X will culminate in December with its most intimate and emotional gathering: a tribute to Jerez’s traditional women cooks, who have preserved and passed down the city’s culinary heritage through generations.
The idea behind this final celebration, which the team is still developing, is a simple one. Throughout the year, El Duende X has invited its guests to bring a part of their world and their soul to Jerez. To close the series, Juanlu and Dolce want to turn that idea around and share the soul of Jerez with their guests. And they would like to do so at one of the most special times of the year in the city: Christmas.
“Throughout the year, we have tried to bring a little of the soul of each person who has been part of El Duende X to Jerez. To finish, we want to bring the series full circle here, in our home, by bringing together everything that, for us, represents the ultimate expression of duende: dancing, eating, singing and drinking,” explain Dolce and Juanlu.
In a way, this will be El Duende X’s journey home. After exploring other cultures, other cuisines and other forms of creativity through its guests, the project will return home to seek duende where Juanlu and Dolce have always experienced it: in the people, the kitchens, the neighbourhoods, the wine and the popular culture of Jerez.
In the year that Jerez holds the title of Spanish Capital of Gastronomy, El Duende X has helped strengthen the city’s profile as a leading gastronomic destination. It has created a space where local traditions meet some of the most influential voices in international gastronomy.