Carme Ruscalleda is the Spanish Catalan chef widely recognised as one of the most-decorated female chefs in modern global gastronomy and the founder of Restaurant Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar, Catalonia. Born 26 April 1952 in Sant Pol de Mar, in the Catalan Maresme coast, Ruscalleda is largely self-taught as a chef, having grown up in a family that ran a butchery and grocery business in Sant Pol. She opened Sant Pau in 1988 with her husband Toni Balam, and the restaurant earned three Michelin stars in 2006 under her leadership, making her at the time the only female chef in the world holding two restaurants with three Michelin stars (alongside Sant Pau Tokyo).
Ruscalleda’s 2025-2026 work continues across her sustained Catalan gastronomy advocacy and product-ambassador roles, having stepped back from daily kitchen operations at Sant Pau to give space to the next generation including her son Raul Balam Ruscalleda. Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar has been reinvented under Raul Balam’s leadership. Carme continues as ambassador for Mestral extra-virgin olive oil and other Catalan products, and participates in international gastronomic events including the Catalan Week in Japan in 2025. She continues to promote Catalan food culture and traditions through 2025-2026.
TL;DR
- Spanish Catalan chef born 26 April 1952 in Sant Pol de Mar, Catalonia
- Largely self-taught chef from a family butchery and grocery business
- Founded Restaurant Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar 1988 with husband Toni Balam
- Three Michelin stars at Sant Pau (2006); Sant Pau Tokyo also three Michelin stars
- Stepped back from daily operations; son Raul Balam Ruscalleda leads Sant Pau
- 2025-2026: Mestral olive oil ambassador; Catalan Week Japan 2025
Carme Ruscalleda key facts
| Born | 26 April 1952, Sant Pol de Mar, Catalonia, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish (Catalan) |
| Background | Largely self-taught; family butchery and grocery business in Sant Pol |
| Husband | Toni Balam (co-founder of Sant Pau) |
| Son | Raul Balam Ruscalleda (now leads reinvented Sant Pau) |
| Defining restaurant | Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar (founded 1988); Sant Pau Tokyo (2004-2020) |
| 2025 highlights | Catalan Week Japan; Mestral olive oil ambassadorial work |
Early life and training of Carme Ruscalleda
Carme Ruscalleda was born on 26 April 1952 in Sant Pol de Mar, on the Catalan Maresme coast north of Barcelona. She grew up in a family that ran a butchery and grocery business in the town, and her formative culinary influences came from the family business and the Catalan Maresme food culture rather than formal culinary training. She is widely cited as one of the most-decorated self-taught chefs in modern global gastronomy.
Through the 1970s and early 1980s Ruscalleda worked in the family butchery and grocery business, developing her culinary instincts through daily ingredient handling and Catalan home cookery. The self-taught approach gave her a distinctive direct relationship with Catalan ingredients that has anchored her subsequent career, alongside the strong Catalan family-and-coastal-cookery foundation that informed Sant Pau’s menu from 1988 onwards.
In 1988 Ruscalleda and her husband Toni Balam opened Restaurant Sant Pau in their hometown of Sant Pol de Mar. The restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 1991, its second Michelin star in 1995, and its third Michelin star in 2006, making Ruscalleda one of only a handful of women globally to lead a three-Michelin-star restaurant at the time. Sant Pau under Ruscalleda became one of the defining Catalan three-Michelin-star restaurants of the 1990s and 2000s.
Carme Ruscalleda career timeline
- 26 April 1952: Born in Sant Pol de Mar, Catalonia
- 1970s-1980s: Works in family butchery and grocery business in Sant Pol de Mar
- 1988: Opens Restaurant Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar with husband Toni Balam
- 1991: First Michelin star at Sant Pau
- 1995: Second Michelin star at Sant Pau
- 2004: Opens Sant Pau Tokyo branch in Nihonbashi, Tokyo
- 2006: Third Michelin star at Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar
- 2009: Sant Pau Tokyo earns its first Michelin star
- 2014: Sant Pau Tokyo earns its second Michelin star
- 2015: Spanish Premio Nacional de Gastronomia
- 2018: Closes Restaurant Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar after 30 years
- 2018-2019: Reinvention of Sant Pau begins under son Raul Balam Ruscalleda
- 2020: Sant Pau Tokyo closes after 16 years
- 2020-2022: Steps back from daily kitchen operations
- 2024: Continues product-ambassador work and gastronomic-events appearances
- 2025: Catalan Week in Japan participation
- 2025: Mestral extra-virgin olive oil ambassador role
- 2026: Continues ambassadorial and Catalan-food-culture promotion work
Carme Ruscalleda signature style: self-taught Catalan coastal cookery
Ruscalleda’s central argument, developed across more than three decades from 1988 onwards, is that traditional Catalan coastal cookery combined with modern technique and ingredient-led cooking can anchor a sustained three-Michelin-star restaurant operation. The Sant Pau menu under Ruscalleda from 1988 to 2018 became one of the defining Catalan three-Michelin-star menus of the era, anchored in Maresme coastal ingredients and traditional Catalan cookery.
The second defining element is the multi-restaurant Catalan-Japanese operation. Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar (1988-2018) and Sant Pau Tokyo (2004-2020) together represent one of the more substantial Catalan female-chef international operations of the period. The Tokyo branch earned two Michelin stars in 2014 and operated until 2020, demonstrating the international portability of the Catalan coastal cookery approach.
The third pillar is the sustained female-chef advocacy and product-ambassador work. Within the global three-Michelin-star female-chef cohort Ruscalleda sits alongside peers including Elena Arzak, Joan Roca and Jordi Cruz as one of the defining figures in modern Spanish gastronomy.
Notable Carme Ruscalleda work
Several Ruscalleda projects have become reference points in modern Catalan gastronomy. Restaurant Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar (1988-2018) is her defining 30-year operation and held three Michelin stars from 2006. Sant Pau Tokyo (2004-2020) was her Japanese branch and held two Michelin stars from 2014. The reinvented Sant Pau under son Raul Balam Ruscalleda continues her Catalan coastal-cookery legacy. The 2015 Spanish Premio Nacional de Gastronomia cement her sustained recognition. The Mestral extra-virgin olive oil ambassadorial role and the 2025 Catalan Week in Japan participation continue her current work.
Carme Ruscalleda awards and recognition
- 1988: Opens Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar with husband Toni Balam
- 1991: First Michelin star at Sant Pau
- 1995: Second Michelin star at Sant Pau
- 2004: Opens Sant Pau Tokyo
- 2006: Third Michelin star at Sant Pau (only female chef with two three-Michelin-star restaurants at time)
- 2009: Sant Pau Tokyo first Michelin star
- 2014: Sant Pau Tokyo second Michelin star
- 2015: Spanish Premio Nacional de Gastronomia
- 2018: Closes Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar after 30 years
- 2020: Sant Pau Tokyo closes after 16 years
- 2025: Catalan Week Japan; Mestral olive oil ambassador
- 2026: Continues ambassadorial and Catalan-food-culture work
Carme Ruscalleda impact on modern Spanish female-chef gastronomy
Ruscalleda’s most concrete contribution is the 30-year Sant Pau run from 1988 to 2018 and the achievement of three Michelin stars at Sant Pau in 2006. At the time of the third star she was the only female chef in the world holding two three-Michelin-star restaurants (Sant Pau Sant Pol de Mar and Sant Pau Tokyo), an achievement that established her at the front rank of female chefs globally.
The second contribution is the demonstration that a largely self-taught chef from a family butchery-and-grocery background could lead a three-Michelin-star restaurant. The Sant Pau approach to traditional Catalan coastal cookery combined with modern technique opened the path for subsequent self-taught chefs and women chefs across the Spanish gastronomic revolution.
The third contribution is the multi-decade ambassadorial and Catalan-food-culture-promotion work since stepping back from daily kitchen operations. Within the global Spanish three-Michelin-star cohort Ruscalleda sits alongside peers including Elena Arzak, Joan Roca and Jordi Cruz as one of the defining figures in modern Spanish gastronomy.
Carme Ruscalleda FAQ
Is Sant Pau still open?
The original Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar closed in 2018 after 30 years under Carme Ruscalleda. The restaurant has subsequently been reinvented under her son Raul Balam Ruscalleda, who continues the family’s Catalan coastal-cookery legacy at the same Sant Pol de Mar location. Sant Pau Tokyo closed in 2020 after 16 years.
Did Ruscalleda have three Michelin stars in two countries?
Yes. Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar earned three Michelin stars in 2006, and Sant Pau Tokyo earned two Michelin stars in 2014. At the time of the third star at Sant Pau she was the only female chef in the world holding two restaurants with three Michelin stars combined, an achievement that established her at the front rank of female chefs globally.
Is Ruscalleda self-taught?
Yes. Ruscalleda is largely self-taught as a chef, having grown up in a family that ran a butchery and grocery business in Sant Pol de Mar. The self-taught approach gave her a distinctive direct relationship with Catalan ingredients that has anchored her subsequent career, and she is widely cited as one of the most-decorated self-taught chefs in modern global gastronomy.
Who runs Sant Pau now?
Carme Ruscalleda’s son Raul Balam Ruscalleda now leads the reinvented Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar. Carme has stepped back from daily kitchen operations to give space to the next generation, but continues to support the family operation alongside her ambassadorial and Catalan-food-culture-promotion work.
What is Ruscalleda doing in 2025-2026?
Ruscalleda continues as ambassador for Mestral extra-virgin olive oil and other Catalan products, and participates in international gastronomic events including the Catalan Week in Japan in 2025. She continues to promote Catalan food culture and traditions through 2025-2026.
What is next for Carme Ruscalleda
Continued ambassadorial and Catalan-food-culture-promotion work through 2026, including Mestral olive oil ambassadorial role and gastronomic-events appearances. The reinvented Sant Pau under son Raul Balam Ruscalleda continues in Sant Pol de Mar. Her public Instagram (@carmeruscalleda) is the best source for current updates.
