The anti-ego chef: How Chele Gonzalez rewrites fine dining
Pinning down Jose Luis "Chele" Gonzalez for an interview at Madrid Fusion 2026 was tricky, as he was constantly surrounded by people wanting to "talk shop" and friends eager to catch up. PhilSTAR L!fe finally had to play its ace card and conspiratorially told the Spanish chef/honorary Filipino, "We're from the Philippines," as if sharing a delicious secret.
That did it. The next day, Gonzalez, who has two MICHELIN-starred restaurants, sat down with L!fe and spoke about discovering his passion for food, using music as a self-care tool, and the importance of putting customers ahead of a chef's ego.
Curiosity, then technique
Contrary to what many may think, Gonzalez did not enjoy mealtimes as a child.
"I had fights with my mom all the time because sometimes we have vegetables and I only like to eat the meat, and my mom said, 'No, you have to eat the whole meal,'" he said.
While the young Gonzalez didn't like leafy greens, he possessed a quality that, according to him, is crucial for a chef's success: curiosity. When he was around 12 years old, Gonzalez, who grew up in Torrelavega and Suances in northern Spain, visited his sister in Galicia and was exposed to a different type of Spanish cuisine, one that was both mindful and traditional. Something clicked and led him to explore food more openly.
Apparently having made peace with vegetables, Gonzalez asked his mother for cookbooks of traditional Spanish cuisine. Soon, he was inviting friends over to cook for them; he had a ready repertoire that included paella.
"It's a small thing that happens in your life that... opens the doors to a different world," he said. "So I cooked, and the food was good, but the kitchen, it was like a war [zone]... Very busy and dirty. I didn't know how to cook like a professional chef and keep the kitchen clean."
He eventually learned. Gonzalez took up culinary sciences at Bilbao's Higher School of Catering, then sharpened his skills by working in some of Spain's best restaurants, including Arzak, El Bulli, El Celler de Can Roca, and Nerua. But it was his stint at Mugaritz where Gonzalez found his mentor in chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, and where he developed his gastronomic style and philosophy, which guides him to this day.
Gonzalez had no clue that decades after he asked his mother for recipes to practice on, he would own MICHELIN-recognized restaurants halfway across the world.
In 2011, he flew to the Philippines to work as head chef at Fever, the restaurant at the shuttered Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel. Two years later, he put up his own restaurant, Vask, reimagining it as Gallery Vask months later. Then in 2018, he rebranded into Gallery by Chele, now known as one of Manila's fine dining luxury restaurants, and moved it to Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Gonzalez has since opened Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez at The Westin Manila and Asador Alfonso, his latest fine-dining project in Cavite that creates innovative Spanish cuisine using Philippine ingredients.
In the inaugural 2026 Michelin Guide Philippines, Asador Alfonso was given one MICHELIN star; Gallery by Chele got another, plus a MICHELIN Green star for the restaurant's sustainability practices. Cantabria also earned a MICHELIN Selected distinction.
Putting the customer first
Curiously, Gonzalez's radical approach to the culinary experience aligns with the central theme of Madrid Fusión 2026, where the chef was one of over 300 speakers.
The annual gastronomic congress gathers avant-garde chefs, industry leaders, and innovative culinary thinkers to share knowledge, launch new projects, and celebrate the culinary world's burgeoning talents. This year, the dialogue throughout the event, held at the end of January, centered around the theme, "The customer takes the lead."
It is also one of the guiding principles in Gonzalez's restaurants. He asserts it is genuine connection with his customers that keeps his restaurants successful.
"It's because we listen to our customers. And even [if] sometimes that is hard, you need to put your ego down and say, 'Okay, your customers are not happy with this,'" Gonzalez said.
"If you don't connect with your guests, you're going to disappear. You can't impose. You need to be smart, listen to them, and give what you want to give, but give it in a way that you also connect with them. If you impose too much, you will not survive," he added.
Riding on this principle of anthropologic cuisine, Gallery by Chele, whose menu is 90% local, likes to involve its customers in its advocacy for sustainability by taking them on a tour of its outdoor garden before they sit down to eat.
"We start in the show kitchen with a small welcome drink and a bite. We go to the garden, because we do our own garden in the middle of the city; we do our own compost. And we finish in the lab before you sit at your table," said Gonzalez.
"We are very conscious about [the fact] that whatever we do; we have also an impact on nature," Gonzalez told L!fe.
The celebrated chef takes this responsibility seriously. He understands that having MICHELIN stars for restaurants that champion local ingredients is an opportunity to change people's attitudes about sustainable dining.
"Yes, to have a small farm in the middle of the city is good, but it doesn't change, really, the impact to the nature," said Gonzalez. "When you have these awards and recognitions, [it gives you] the voice to really be conscious and do things better. I think that's our role."
Music as self-care
Before Gonzalez established himself as a chef, he was a club co-owner and DJ in Santander, Spain, in his early 20s. Although he loved it, he and his partner had to sell the club prematurely because of noise complaints from their neighbors.
The passion for music, though, persisted. In Manila, Gonzalez got together with some friends and established GotSoul MNL, a listening bar in BGC where Gonzalez regularly serves as DJ and helps direct the Spanish-Filipino tapas menu.
"Being a DJ is actually my mental therapy," Gonzalez said. "I play in the best clubs in town."
"You need to have something that is a way to escape from your daily craziness, and music and playing give me so much joy," he added
On some days, he wakes up at 6 a.m. just to organize his record collection, many of which features funk, disco, and techno music.
"I take care of my wife, my daughter, the 300 people who work for me. They are also my kids and I need to be the father and the leader," said Gonzalez. "Can I leave a little bit of time to myself? You need to learn also, as you become more mature, that it's important to give time for yourself."
