Cooking Schools: The Recipe Keeping New Basque Cuisine Alive Half a Century Later
Cooking Schools: The Recipe Keeping New Basque Cuisine Alive Half a Century Later
Getting its start in 1976 in Gipuzkoa, the New Basque Cuisine movement —deeply inspired by the principles of French Nouvelle Cuisine— transformed the Basque Country’s gastronomic landscape through three key pillars: reviving forgotten recipes and dishes; championing the authenticity of ingredients through market cooking and seasonal raw materials; and expanding the traditional repertoire of recipes with creativity and innovation. Driven by a group of young chefs, this culinary revolution placed Basque gastronomy firmly on the world map, where it continues to be one of the most admired culinary forms today.
Although New Basque Cuisine began in restaurant kitchens, its endurance has been closely tied to cooking schools, which play a vital role in training new generations of chefs and professionals across the hospitality sector. At the forefront of said training stands the Basque Culinary Center, the Basque Country’s prestigious university of gastronomic sciences. The center opened its doors in 2009 in San Sebastián and is now home to students from more than 30 countries. In 2025, it inaugurated GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, also in San Sebastián, a hub for advanced training and innovation. By 2026, two new campuses will join the network in Vitoria-Gasteiz and Laguardia, both dedicated to the study of liquid gastronomy.
In Zarautz, the Aiala Catering School, founded in 1996 by renowned chef Karlos Arguiñano, operates two campuses offering mid-level vocational programs, postgraduate degrees, and summer courses for culinary enthusiasts. After all, in Basque culture, the transmission of knowledge goes far beyond the professional sphere: one of the region’s greatest hallmarks is that you eat well everywhere — from fine-dining establishments to family homes. In this spirit, initiatives such as Jo Topagunea in Tolosa (a showcase for local products that hosts workshops and guided market tours) and Mimo Bite The Experience in San Sebastián (which offers pintxo tours, practical activities, and courses for amateurs) play an essential role. Together, these institutions keep the flame of New Basque Cuisine burning bright — fifty years after the movement’s birth.
Cooking Schools
Photograpy: Mimo Bite The Experience, Antton Miettinen.
