Carlos Torres

Coming Up

Carlos Torres is owner and chef of La Buena Vida in Madrid, and the work there is built on restraint rather than display. The kitchen favors clarity, familiarity, and a steady hand over trends, with Torres stating the position plainly: “We make artisanal cooking; I do not like modern cooking.” That approach shows in the way the menu stays direct while still allowing for small points of distinction in the details.

Where They Are Now

At La Buena Vida, the craft is not to overwork a plate but to keep the line of cooking legible. Torres holds both the ownership and the kitchen role, which lets him shape both execution and the restaurant’s point of view.

Signature

Carlos's signature dishes include raya a la mantequilla negra. The dish sits comfortably inside Torres’s wider method at La Buena Vida: artisanal cooking, direct in expression, with attention on the fundamentals rather than flourish. It helps establish a house style that is deliberate and plainspoken, where the food is meant to speak for itself.

In Their Words “We make artisanal cooking; I do not like modern cooking.”