Oriol Rovira

The Climb

Since 2000, Oriol Rovira has led Els Casals, and that length of tenure is the point. The accumulation is in the method: staying with one house, one setting, and one set of seasonal conditions until the work becomes increasingly specific. At Els Casals, he has turned consistency into a form of knowledge, with the restaurant serving as the place where that knowledge is tested and refined over time.

Today

At Els Casals, Oriol Rovira cooks as chef within a framework that ties the kitchen directly to the surrounding agricultural life. The restaurant’s logic is built on proximity: what is grown, what is preserved, and what is served are all part of the same system. That keeps the cooking grounded in its setting, with the countryside functioning as source, reference, and operating rule. Sobrasada, described there as a raw, in-house-cured sausage, shows the house approach in a single plate. Served with tomato and honey, it depends on curing and balance rather than elaboration, with each element left legible. Rillettes sit alongside it in the signature list, reinforcing the same register of preservation and directness that runs through the cooking at Els Casals. The strength of the restaurant is in that compression. Farm, nearby farms, curing, cooking, and service are not separate identities here; they are parts of one workflow. For Oriol Rovira, the value of the place lies in what it allows and what it excludes, and the menu reflects that discipline without needing to explain it.

Signature

Oriol's signature dishes include sobrasada and rillettes.

In Their Words

Recognition

Oriol's honors include Michelin Guide star.