i. Biography
His public record is compact: hospitality training, one named kitchen, and recognition from two major guides in 2023. What sits inside that outline is a methodical way of cooking, shaped by routine, repetition, and a style that has settled into clear form without losing the discipline of its beginnings.
The Climb
Hospitality training at La Escuela de Hostelería La Laguna gave David Olivas a working base in routine, precision, and the pace expected of the trade. That early schooling is where the habits tied to his name were formed: timing, order, and the kind of kitchen discipline that holds up under service. From there, the path narrowed into a role that required consistency as much as invention. Since 2016, BACK in Marbella has been the place where David Olivas has worked as chef, and that long run gives the kitchen a settled point of view. The work reads as controlled and deliberate, with technique used to keep the cooking clean, current, and composed.
Today
BACK remains the site of his work as chef. Since 2016, the restaurant has anchored David Olivas’s career, and that continuity matters in a trade where style is often clarified through repetition rather than statement. The name now attached to BACK is not a brief appointment but a sustained position, one that has allowed his approach to harden into practice. In service, the emphasis is on steadiness, precision, and the kind of control that lets a kitchen develop without noise.
Signature
David Olivas's signature dishes include Cured scalop, pipirrana of citric artichokes and olive oil, Red prawns with its own croquette, American sauce and cryspy, Grilled edulisboletus, and chicken egg passed by water and herb oil. The line-up points to a kitchen built on contrast and restraint, where brightness, richness, and texture are placed with intent. Even in the dish names, the priorities are visible: the acidity in pipirrana, the marine note of Red prawns, the earthier register of Grilled edulisboletus. Across the selection, the common thread is control over balance, with each element set to work against and alongside the others.
Recognition
David Olivas's honors include MICHELIN Guide: One Star (2023). That recognition places his work within the frame of a major guide in that year and marks a clear point of acknowledgment for the cooking developed at BACK. In career terms, it reads as a measured arrival: training, continuity, and a kitchen voice that found formal notice without relying on excess.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of David
Where did David Olivas train or study?
David Olivas trained at La Escuela de Hostelería La Laguna.
What recognition has David Olivas received?
MICHELIN Guide: One Star (2023).
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