In 1976 Juan Mari Arzak, Pedro Subijana, Martin Berasategui, and Hilario Arbelaitz formed a group of Basque chefs who became known as the group of 12.
The group took the initiative to create the New Basque Cuisine (Nueva Cocina Vasca) and shook the Basque as well as the Spanish cuisines from their foundations, enabling them to reach the echelons of excellence in world gastronomy and creating a conducive environment for the ‘Revolution’ of the Catalan chef Ferran Adrià in the 1990s.
The principles of the New Basque Cuisine were the following:
- Search and recovery of ‘lost’ recipes
- Ensure the authenticity of products and the ingredients
- Give priority to invention
In an interview Hilario Arbelaitz described the New Basque Cuisine Movement.
We did what we could for the good of our cuisine and its improvement. To understand the Basque cuisine you need to get to know Pedro. Juan Mari always wanted to shine, and Martin wanted the same. Martin is my friend. He is a great chef, a great teacher, and a brilliant businessman. As a friend he is always loyal and I can trust him. Martin, Pedro and I are very good friends.
Gastrolvios 