Francis Paniego

Francis Paniego, born in April 1968 in Ezcaray, La Rioja, Spain, is the chef of the two-Michelin-starred El Portal de Echaurren in Ezcaray, which he opened in 2002 as a creative reinterpretation of his family's century-old legacy, earning its first Michelin star in 2004 and a second in 2013. He received the National Gastronomic Prize as Spain's best chef in 2012. Paniego also directed the culinary offerings at the one-Michelin-starred Marqués de Riscal Restaurant in Elciego from 2006, earning a star in 2011, alongside three Repsol Suns for El Portal.