A CELEBRATION OF DUENDE, EXPRESSED THROUGH CUISINE AS A LANGUAGE OF CULTURE, CREATIVITY AND GASTRONOMY
THE 2026 PROGRAMME KICKS OFF ON FEBRUARY 28 WITH THE CHARISMATIC AND MASTERFUL JORDI ROCA LEADING THE OPENING CHAPTER
Juanlu Fernández and Dolce Nilda announce the launch of El Duende X, a new event that will bring some of the most inspiring figures in national and international gastronomy to Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz, Andalusia). The project is rooted in the interpretation of the concept of duende developed at LÚ: that elusive, mysterious force which, as the Andalusian poet Federico García Lorca described in Theory and Play of the Duende, is “something everyone feels but no philosopher can explain; a power that does not come from thought, but from creative impulse, emotion and inner struggle.” This is how Juanlu Fernández understands his cooking: as a space where tradition, innovation and memory are transformed into experiences capable of transporting the diner through time and place, connecting them with whatever stirs emotion.
The first edition of El Duende X will unfold throughout 2026, featuring an outstanding line-up of guests who embody excellence, creativity and diversity within contemporary haute cuisine. Among them is Jordi Roca, pastry chef of El Celler de Can Roca (Girona), a three-MICHELIN-Star restaurant that has been named No. 1 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and currently holds a place in The Best of the Best. His participation will mark the opening of a cycle designed to become a key fixture on Jerez’s cultural calendar — a new meeting point where creativity and gastronomy come together to share their duende. The event with Jordi Roca will take place on 28 February and 1 March.
From Brazil comes Janaina Torres, at the helm of A Brasileira and Bar da Dona Onça (São Paulo), one of the most influential voices in contemporary Latin American cuisine and named Best Female Chef in Latin America 2023 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The Brazilian chef will visit Jerez towards the end of April.
From Italy, El Duende X will welcome Karime López, who for nearly a decade was head chef at Osteria Gucci by Massimo Bottura in Florence (one MICHELIN star), and who made history as the first Mexican woman to earn a MICHELIN Star. With a rapidly growing international profile and a cuisine known for its elegance and strong personal roots, she has recently opened her new restaurant Xaak in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Karime López will headline El Duende X in June.
After the summer, the event will feature the unmistakable Albert Adrià, chef of Enigma in Barcelona (2 MICHELIN Stars, No. 34 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list). One of the most influential figures in contemporary gastronomy, he is a global reference for creative cuisine and a key figure in Spain’s culinary revolution, with a career defined by innovation and avant-garde thinking.
Providing a more traditional point of view, closely linked to territory and product, this first edition will also include Aitor Arregi of Elkano in Getaria (Gipuzkoa), awarded one MICHELIN Star and ranked No. 24 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. A true temple of seafood and grilling, Elkano is internationally acclaimed for its mastery of product and its reinterpretation of maritime culinary tradition. Aitor Arregi will be joined by Pablo Vicari and by the team from Elkano’s Andalusian sister restaurant, Cataria in Chiclana de la Frontera, led by Fernando Corrochano.
Dolce and Juanlu have been always clear that El Duende X should be an accessible, welcoming event, designed for the diverse audiences that make up the community around their restaurants. For this reason, the programme will not take place exclusively at LÚ but will extend across the entire gastronomic ecosystem the couple have built in Jerez. Three different spaces, one soul: different projects united by the same approach to cooking and hospitality, coexisting in harmony and reflecting a common identity grounded in respect for product, craftsmanship and excellence.
Alongside LÚ, the couple also run Krombol, a space devoted to breakfasts and afternoon snacks that celebrates the pleasure of starting and ending the day with carefully crafted, artisanal recipes. On one of the event days, guests will prepare a special creation there under the theme “The breakfast of your life.”
Bina Bar, meanwhile, is a concept born in 2020 and recently reimagined to offer a more informal experience without sacrificing flavour, quality or attention to detail. It will host another of the gatherings within El Duende X, celebrating the social and festive side of gastronomy around a very local idea: “We are a country of tapeo.”
And, of course, the main stage will be LÚ itself —Juanlu Fernández’s most personal project. A restaurant built around the belief that “sharing is adding,” it will become the core of each event. Here, guest chefs will cook alongside Juanlu and his team, shaping an immersive culinary experience rooted in creativity, exchange and shared friendship.
This ecosystem of projects defines the character of the group and provides the ideal setting for El Duende X, allowing the event to unfold across different formats and spaces, always guided by the same gastronomic philosophy.
That El Duende X takes place in Jerez carries even greater significance in such a special year, as the city holds the title of Spanish Capital of Gastronomy. This recognition shines a light on its extraordinary culinary heritage, its producers, chefs, artisans and projects that, rooted in the local, have built a gastronomic narrative with national and international reach.
With El Duende X, Juanlu Fernández and Dolce Nilda further establish Jerez de la Frontera as a top-level gastronomic meeting point, where tradition, creativity and a sense of community come together. The project is born from a desire to showcase the territory while remaining open to the world, and understands cooking as a form of expression, exchange and a meeting of duendes.
Sponsors support:
To make this journey possible, El Duende X is supported by a network of sponsors and collaborators who are, above all, close friends of the project. Brands and initiatives that share Dolce and Juanlu’s way of understanding gastronomy, product, hospitality and attention to detail, and who have chosen to lend their support to help bring this experience to life.
One of the key pillars of El Duende X is the backing of Bodegas Serdio, as official sponsor, whose involvement plays an essential role in strengthening and growing this cultural initiative. The winery revives a legacy that dates to 19th-century Cádiz, brought back to life today by the grandchildren of its last owner, now based in the Santiago neighbourhood of Jerez de la Frontera, with a clear purpose: to recover the most authentic essence of the Sherry region.
The origin of its wines lies in two exceptional vineyards. Pago Tizón, with ten hectares of old Palomino vines facing the historic Macharnudo area, and Pago Mahína, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, with five hectares of pure albariza soil that bring freshness and character to the wines.
The winery produces Sherry wines that remain true to tradition, with remarkable purity and extremely limited production, conceived to preserve the essence and soul of full-bodied wines. Bottled en rama, without cold filtration or systemic treatments, these are wines designed to stand the test of time.
Among the collaborators is Hotel Casa Palacio María Luisa, the official accommodation for the guest chefs. It is a hotel that reflects elegance, a deep respect for craftsmanship, and the pursuit of excellence that this event seeks to represent.
In addition, the support of collaborators such as Cadimar/Mercedes-Benz, Frerejean Frères, Gadira, Montesano, Aquanaria and Chef Works is fundamental to ensuring that El Duende X becomes a reality and is delivered with the levels of quality and excellence with which it was conceived.
More about LÚ and Juanlu Fernández
LÚ is a restaurant, yes — but it is also much more than that. It is the space where Juanlu Fernández expresses himself with complete freedom, where his love for French cuisine becomes a lens through which he interprets his land, his roots, his culture and his own story. From LÚ, he brings back traditional recipes that had partly fallen into oblivion and reimagines them through a contemporary perspective, blending innovation and memory without losing the essence that makes them unique. It is here that duende — so deeply connected to flamenco culture — truly emerges, and where Juanlu’s soulful cooking can be felt in every detail.
Just a few months after opening, LÚ was awarded its first MICHELIN star — barely ten months in — becoming the first restaurant in Jerez to achieve this distinction. In 2024, it made history once again by earning a second MICHELIN star, and to date remains the first and only restaurant in Jerez to hold this recognition.
In recent years, Juanlu has become one of the leading voices of Jerez, Andalusian and Spanish cuisine on the international stage. Alongside his own businesses, he plays an important role as a gastronomic advisor on several projects. At the Royal Hideaway Sancti Petri (Cádiz), he oversees the culinary direction of Chez Lumière, a refined beachfront brasserie. He also leads the gastronomic proposal of the terrace at Hotel L’Apéro, in Vejer de la Frontera, offering a selection of some of his signature small bites.
Since last year, his duende has crossed borders, advising the culinary concepts of Artesse (Kraków) and Wierzbowa 15 (Wrocław), both in Poland and part of the Dobry Hotel Group. In addition, last November he was awarded two knives at The Best Chef Awards, moving up a category from the previous edition.