THE GASTRONOMIC FESTIVAL, ORGANIZED BY ERNESTO VENTÓS, WILL WELCOME JUANJO LÓPEZ, NIEVES BARRAGÁN AND IÑIGO LAVADO THIS SUMMER FOR THREE EXCLUSIVE EVENTS WITH LOCAL CHEFS
Menorca, 30 June 2026. The fifth edition of MENORC4MANOS Festival is getting ready to once again make Menorca one of this summer’s top gastronomic destinations. The event, created and organized by Ernesto Ventós and his company EV Gastro, will feature three renowned Spanish chefs this year, in a new edition that will continue to promote culinary exchange.
On its fifth anniversary, the festival is once again embracing the format that has defined it since its beginnings: collaborative cooking sessions in which guest chefs and local chefs work together to create unique culinary experiences. As a new feature, this year’s edition will move all its events to midday, inviting guests to enjoy the cuisine under Menorca’s incomparable light and giving visibility to some of the island’s most special landscapes and locations. This formula has made the event one of the summer’s culinary musts.
Since its creation in 2022, the project has helped to showcase a side of Menorca that goes far beyond its landscapes and beaches, highlighting its culinary culture, local products and the people who are part of it. The festival has thus become a unique showcase for promoting the island’s culinary riches through some of its most outstanding restaurants and professionals.
True to its nomadic spirit, the festival will once again take place in different locations across Menorca, crossing the island and showcasing the uniqueness and character of each area through some of its most iconic culinary venues.
The first of the host restaurants is in Santo Tomás and its name is La Terraza del Balear, the new venture from Cafè Balear, in the Hotel Villa Le Blanc Gran Meliá. A restaurant that brings the essence of one of the island’s most renowned culinary traditions to a stunning setting overlooking the Mediterranean, where the finest seafood, Menorcan cuisine and spectacular views come together to offer a unique experience.
The second venue will be Sa Punta in Es Castell, a restaurant situated next to the entrance to Mahón harbour, which has become one of the island’s leading gastronomic landmarks. Its contemporary cuisine, rooted in Mediterranean traditions and local produce, will find the festival the perfect setting for the culinary exchange that defines the event.
The festival’s final stop will be at Bodegas Binifadet’s restaurant in Sant Lluís, a venue surrounded by vineyards where cuisine, landscape, and wine come together in perfect harmony. Its menu, based on local produce and Menorcan culinary traditions, invites you to discover the region through its flavours.
In each of these scenarios, the guest chefs will cook together with the host teams to create exclusive menus designed especially for this edition of Menorc4Manos.
On Monday 20 July, for lunch, the festival will open with the participation of Juanjo López and Nacho Trujillo. Both are the key figures at La Tasquita de Enfrente, which has been awarded 2 Soles Repsol Guide and is recommended by the MICHELIN Guide. Juanjo is the driving force behind La Tasquita, renowned for its commitment to quality ingredients and contemporary traditional cuisine, and Nacho leads the kitchen, playing a vital role in the development and execution of the restaurant’s culinary concept. Joining them in the kitchen will be Julián Nieto, chef at La Terraza del Balear, and Sergio Villalonga (from Cafè Balear), the restaurant’s culinary consultant, accompanied by the in-house kitchen team. Together, they will craft an experience that celebrates Mediterranean cuisine and classic recipes with a contemporary twist.
The second event will take place on Monday 27 July during lunchtime at Sa Punta, where chef Nieves Barragánwill be cooking alongside Roberto Sarrió and his team. Born in the Basque Country and based in London for many years, Barragán has become one of Spain’s most internationally renowned chefs. She currently heads the restaurants Sabor and Legado, both of which have been awarded with 1 MICHELIN Star, where she creates cuisine deeply rooted in her Basque and Spanish heritage, with a contemporary and cosmopolitan twist.
The festival will conclude on Monday 3rd August for lunch, featuring Iñigo Lavado, head chef at Itzuli, a restaurant with one Michelin Star and 1 Sol Repsol Guide located in San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa). Iñigo is one of the most renowned figures in Basque gastronomy and on this occasion, he will be accompanied by his daughter María Lavado, who is already part of the restaurant’s kitchen team whilst completing her training in gastronomy. Father and daughter will cook alongside Daniel Poleo, chef at the Bodegas Binifadet restaurant in Sant Lluís. Together, they will create a menu that brings together Basque and Menorcan cuisines in a unique setting surrounded by vineyards.
The guest chefs for this edition will be taking the baton from the leading figures who took part in the previous edition, such as Jaime Pesaque, head chef at Mayta and one of the leading lights of Peruvian cuisine; Tássia Magalhães, one of the most promising voices in new Brazilian cuisine; Juanlu Fernández, head chef at LÚ Cocina y Alma, recognised with 2 MICHELIN Stars and 2 Soles Repsol Guide; and Pepe Solla, a key figure in contemporary Galician cuisine and a great advocate of Atlantic produce, honoured with 1 MICHELIN Star and 3 Soles Repsol Guide.
After the Festival concludes, they will join the extensive roster of international chefs who have participated in the event since its inception. This list includes, but is not limited to, Janaina Torres (A Brasileira and World’s Best Female Chef 2024 according to The World’s 50 Best), Paco Roncero (Paco Roncero Restaurante in Madrid), Aitor Arregi (Elkano in Getaria), Vicky Sevilla (Arrels in Sagunto), João Rodrigues (Canalha in Lisbon), and Antonio Belotti (Casa 887 in Donostia), among others.
Year after year, their involvement has helped to consolidate the festival’s prestige and its growing media profile, establishing Menorca as a leading gastronomic destination both in Spain and internationally.
Bookings for each of the events must be made directly with the host restaurants: La Terraza del Balear, Sa Punta and Bodegas Binifadet. For any further enquiries, the organizers can be contacted by email at info@evgastro.es.
This year’s edition is once again supported by partners who share the values of excellence, authenticity, and attention to detail that define the festival. Among them is Innat Gin, an artisanal gin with links to the Mediterranean and to the values of local heritage and produce that the festival also champions.
Caviar del Tíbet, a symbol of excellence and sophistication, is also back, bringing to every gathering a product of the very highest quality, produced to the most exacting standards.
Furthermore, Fundación Ernesto Ventós will once again play a prominent role at the festival. This non-profit organization, founded by the Ventós family in honour of the legacy of the perfumer and artist Ernesto Ventós (the organizer’s father), carries out projects that bring together art, nature and sensory perception.
Thanks to the commitment of partners, chefs, host restaurants and everyone who has supported MENORC4MANOS since its origins, the festival continues to grow and become established as one of the major gastronomic events in Spain’s during summer. What began as Ernesto Ventós’s desire to share his love for Menorca through gastronomy continues to grow five years on, without losing sight of what gives it its meaning: bringing people together around a table to showcase the richness of local produce, local talent and the island’s hospitality.