Spanish chef Marcos Morán might have a family legacy in hotels and catering, but he never thought he’d build a career in the kitchen
Despite his family running the iconic Casa Gerado restaurant for over 142 years, Marcos Morán originally attempted to become a journalist. But after two years of journalism school, he returned to the family home in Asturias and got into the restaurant business. A deep love of cooking quickly developed, and Morán decided to continue in the family business.
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After enrolling in Spain’s prestigious “Escuela de Hostelería y Turismo de Gijón”, Morán interned at some of Spain’s best restaurants, including El Bulli, Celler de Can Roca and Quique Dacosta. Now, the chef considers Casa Gerardo his main home and is the fifth generation in his family to run the restaurant. He has created his own ventures to bring Asturian cuisine to the world through new restaurants and has even written a book titled Casa Gerardo with his father.
Using his family’s gastronomic traditions, Morán has developed his own restaurant concept, Hispania, which has a flagship in London, and a Michelin-starred iteration in Brussels. Early this year, he brought his unique take on Spanish cuisine to the recently opened Gran Meliá Nha Trang in Vietnam.
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What does Spanish cuisine mean to you?
For me, Spanish cuisine is about memory and creativity. It combines flavours from the past and a respect for tradition with advanced culinary techniques. Above all, Spanish cuisine is contemporary.
How do you define the Hispania brand and its cuisine?
Hispania is a journey into Spanish gastronomy and culture. When you enter a Hispania restaurant, we want you to enter Spain, both in the food and the way of living. Our cuisine is based on produce and respecting tradition and the influences of the regional dishes of Spain.
How did the idea for Hispania Nha Trang come about?
Over a decade ago, the owner of Hispania asked me how I felt about sharing the Hispania story with the world. I thought it was a great idea and we started to do that with our openings in London and Brussels. We began our relationship with Meliá while developing two parallel projects — the Hispania restaurants in Nha Trang and our flagship in Kensington, London.
Meliá was the right partner because both our brands share many values — professionalism, quality and “Spanishness”. When looking to open a new restaurant, the most important factor is to have access to excellent local products, which we have in Nha Trang. Asturian cuisine has many nuances, but what I am most passionate about is the Cantabrian Sea and its products — the sea is a common thread between Asturias and Nha Trang so for me, it was a win-win situation to open here.
Given that Hispania Brussels has a Michelin star and that the guide launched its Vietnam guide in 2023, is a Michelin star for Hispania Nha Trang something you’re aiming for?
When you open a project as ambitious as Hispania Nha Trang, you have no limit. We hope to be a reference restaurant in Vietnam and in Asia, and we are sure that with time the Guide will visit us and value our work. But, although these awards give prestige and confirm that you are on the right track, the most important thing is the relationship with our diners.
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What do you hope diners take away from a meal at Hispania Nha Trang?
I would love for all diners at Hispania Nha Trang to leave with a desire to get to know Casa Gerardo and Hispania London. I hope they are left with the essence of our cuisine and need to know even more. I would like them to leave happy and at ease and feel interest and curiosity to continue discovering Spanish flavours.
You launched Hispania Nha Trang by inviting Michelin-starred Spanish chefs Pepe Solla, Begoña Rodrigo and Adrian Mancheño for an exclusive collaborative dinner. Why?
Spanish gastronomy is not as well-known as some other cuisines, and while many may hear about it, they don’t get a chance to “live” the Spanish experience. If you don’t go to Spain, you don’t have the chance to understand that we truly do have the best gastronomy in the world. I know that everybody says that about their own cuisine, but I think in our country’s case it really is true. I wanted to work with these chefs here in Vietnam to showcase just how amazing Spanish cuisine is. I have worked with Adrián, Pepe and Begoña before — they are not only excellent Michelin-starred chefs, but they are also very good friends of mine, and we work well together.
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