RIP, Santi Santamaria

Damn, I see that the chef, Santi Santamaria has died of a heart attack – he was only 53. We have made three visits to his three-Michelin-star restaurant El Racó de Can Fabes in the sleepy town of San Celoni near Barcelona, and each time we really enjoyed it.

I first heard about Can Fabes from my friend and food critic, Andy Hayler. Although Andy reported that the standard of cooking in Can Fabes was not what it once was, we were fortunate enough to be able to visit it when Santamaria and his staff were cooking at, or very near, the peak of their powers.