Mauro Colagreco (born 5 October 1976 in La Plata, Argentina) is an Argentine chef at the three-Michelin stars restaurant Mirazur in Menton, France. [1]
As a newly qualified chef, Colagreco headed to France and worked with Bernard Loiseau until his death in 2003. He then worked in Paris with Alain Passard at l’Arpège, [2] Alain Ducasse at the Hotel Plaza Athénée and finally spending a year at Le Grand Véfour. [3]
Colagreco established Mirazur in Menton in 2006. [3] Just six months after opening Colagreco received the ‘Revelation of the Year’ award, a brand new category to recognize his merits, from Gault&Millau, and in less than a year, he earned his first Michelin star. [1] His second Michelin star was awarded six years later. [4]
Mirazur became officially one of the best restaurants in the world[ when? ] listed in The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. [5] In the same year, Colagreco was also awarded “Chef of the Year” by the prestigious Gault & Millau restaurant guide - the first non-French chef ever to receive this title. [6]
His third Michelin star was awarded in January 2019. [7]
In June 2019, Mirazur was elected the best restaurant in the world by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. [8]
Colagreco has imposed a style of his own in the interpretation of ingredients and the contrast of flavours. [9] This style is not rooted in his Italian-Argentine cultural heritage and does not refer to the experienced chefs with whom he worked in France. [10]
In 2022, Colagreco was the very first chef to be named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for biodiversity. [11]