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The Gastroarte chefs, with Fernando Rueda and Charo Carmona, in front of the restaurant. Food and drink More than 30 chefs gather in Antequera to celebrate 30 years of Arte de CozinaMembers of Gastroarte prepare a special menu for the anniversary of the Antequera restaurant headed by Charo Carmona
Wednesday, 4 March 2026, 16:09
There were still almost two hours to go, but a commotion of more than 30 cooks in white jackets in the middle of the street indicated that something was cooking in Antequera.
And anyone passing along Calle Calzada in the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday would not have been mistaken. The restaurant Arte de Cozina was celebrating 30 years of existence. Almost as many chefs wanted to meet there not only to celebrate but also to pay tribute to Charo Carmona, its founder and daily promoter of this temple of traditional cuisine.
"Simplicity doesn't have to be at odds with that extra bit of class, lobster or a T-bone steak is no more important than loin of pork or a stew," says this Antequera native who, looking back, is still weighed down by the lack of time she used to spend with her children. "It was hard." From sunrise to sunset she spent her day at the Madrona bar (which today is Arte de Tapas).
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Charo Carmona, during her speech before the dinner. Antonio J. GuerreroThirty years later, it doesn't even occur to her children to reproach her for the guilty conscience she has carried ever since. On the contrary, they understand her. Today they are her support in the business. Almost without realising it, Charo Carmona has not only brought the family forward but has also created a catering school in this 17th century house.
She has made Arte de Cozina a benchmark for Andalusian cuisine from Antequera. This was evident on Tuesday during the tribute dinner that her colleagues from Gastroarte, a gastronomic collective presided over by Fernando Rueda and which brings together 55 Andalusian chefs, paid her a tribute.
"When Fernando calls you, you know you have to go, especially if the reason is Charo," admits the Cordoba chef Celia Jiménez. Like her, 32 other colleagues from the guild gathered in the Antequera restaurant (and hotel).
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Richard Alcayde prepares his dish, a sea bass ceviche. Antonio J. GuerreroAs in other Gastroarte meetings, everyone left their proposals for dishes. The result of this event was a cocktail-type menu for around 50 people and made up of 18 dishes prepared by Amador Fernández and Candace (A&C Gastronomic Solutions), Jordi Bataller and Richard Alcayde (La Kocina and Hacienda Alakrán), Kisko García (Choco, Cordoba), Cristian Fernández and Pablo Zamudio (Base 9), Mauricio Giovanini (Messina, Marbella), Javier Jurado (Malak, Jaén), Víctor Hierrezuelo (El Chiringuito, Sedella), Celia Jiménez (Restaurante Celia Jiménez, Cordoba), Pedro Aguilera (Mesón Sabor Andaluz, Alcalá del Valle), Carlos Fernández (Karan Bistró, Pozoblanco), Sergio del Río (Óleo), Rafa Luque and Manuele Furia (Casa Luque, Nerja), Juan Luis Santiago (Garum 2.1, Cordoba), Cati Schiff (Obrado Dulce y Salado, Fuengirola), Lola Martín Huete (Damasqueros, Granada) and, of course, Charo Carmona herself.
In addition to two non-Andalusian restaurants that also wanted to be there: L'Antic Moli (Tarragona) and Poncio (Madrid). And many other chefs from Malaga as support in the kitchen, such as Willie Orellana, Fernando Villasclaras, Juan Morcillo and Dani Carnero. Not forgetting the help of Adolfo Jaime in coordination. "It couldn't have been better." replied the veteran chef to Charo's summary at the end of the day with the family photo: "This is the icing on the cake of a magical day".
"I feel very lucky".
It was topped off by the bouquet of 30 white roses presented to her by her sons Luis and Fran, together with her grandchildren. "I feel very lucky. Today we all had lunch together and we had a fantastic time. We are colleagues, there is no envy here. We call each other, we ask each other questions... "Is there anything nicer than sharing? Sharing gives you a lot".
The proof was right in front of her, with colleagues who were full of praise: "She is the best cook we have", "a real reference", "as a cook she is good but as a person she is even better", "she has seen our children grow up here and to see them now enjoying her cooking is wonderful", "she doesn't need to show off or posture because she is authentic", "someone who has opened doors for us".
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The space was adapted to accommodate the cocktail dinner for about 50 people. Antonio J. GuerreroShe has done it from scratch. "When I came into this world I didn't even know it. I started by making my own meals and multiplying them by 40", recalls Charo Carmona, recognising that little by little she began to delimit the path she wanted to take. It was to recover the popular recipe book and take it to another level. "Tradition with refinement," she says with the same enthusiasm as always. "There has to be, otherwise nothing would make sense", justifies the cook from Antequera.
This is where she believes part of her success lies: patience, dedication and slow work. "The only thing we want is for the client to feel at ease, comfortable". It is clear that for her this small universe that she has created between Arte de Tapas and Arte de Cozina "is a way of life". She has been able to play with memory, with flavours that are forgotten and even unknown to many (including herself). "And I've been lucky that it has been liked," she admits with the honesty that characterises her and which she has always reflected in a cuisine that, among other awards, has earned her the Sol de la Guía Repsol (Sun of the Repsol Guide).
"It's a daily illusion, I'm passionate about it. Now I look at it and I see that all this is what I wanted to do". Thirty years later, she has doubled the space and the team. Today they are close to twenty. More or less like Gastroarte, which was born in Arte de Cozina with twelve people and today exceeds fifty. Sixteen years later, the challenge is to continue "moving forward". Like Charo Carmona, Luis and Fran.