The journey
How everything started
Rubén López Mesa is a chef from Pinto, south of Madrid, who came to Australia in 2009 and completed his technical qualification in Commercial Cookery Cert III at Sutherland College, Loftus Campus, NSW. He got several Outstanding Performance Awards between 2010 and 2012 and a Nomination 2012 NSW for Apprentice of the Year. Thanks to his results he was invited to do a Diploma of Hospitality and Management at Sydney Institute TAFE, NSW where he got a Leadership Award Diploma 2012.
After few years working in different restaurants in Sutherland Shire, he moved to Sydney and worked at The Morrison by Sean Connolly in the CBD, the two-hatted Spanish restaurant MoVida Sydney in Surry Hills mentored by Frank Camorra, The Vanguard in Newtown, etc.. moving the ladder up until he finally become Head Chef.
As a migrant in Australia, Rubén is especially mindful of the experiences of other Spanish chefs living here. That is why in 2018 he created Eat Spanish with the goal of showcasing Spanish gastronomy & culture in Australia.
The start
In 2018 they made it official: Rubén plus chefs Javier Perez González, Quim Hernandez, Pepe Garcia, Jon Ingunza, Santiago Fernandez & Javier Perez González became the founder fathers of Eat Spanish Australia. The first ever non-profit Spanish food and Wine association in Australia with members all across the country.
Eat Spanish is currently one of the best assets & ambassadors for Spanish food in Australia: a trailblazer organization that showcases the diversity of Spanish gastronomy like no other . You'll see their members promoting Spanish food, culture and its products at trade expos, professional events and Australian media.
Ruben's latest appearance on The Cook Up by Adam Liaw allowed him to champion the traditional 'cocina de aprovechamiento', aka Zero Waste Food to Aussie households. An opportunity that we hope to see more often in the Australian media, so we can get used to cooking Spanish once per week at home