“Arabak0 Collective”: Chefs from fourteen restaurants will promote the gastronomy of Araba, Basque Country

• Minister Mrs Amaia Barredo: “With them, all Basque cuisine is now among the international benchmarks”
• “These types of organizations revive decades of work and gastronomic promotion in our country”
• Edorta Lamo (Arrea), Luis Angel Pérez (144), Aitor Etxenike (Kromatiko), Beatriz Pascual (Almazen), María Laskibar and Iván Sancho (Kea), Jon Gil (Bideko), Belén Sandrin and Jokin Loma (Palacio de Añana), Luis Hernani (Mano Lenta), Gorka Arrieta (Sua), Cristian Solana (El Puntido), Jabi Sarasua (Karmine), Koldobika Galán and Asier Moreira (Bode), Aitor Ocio (Bodeguilla), and Anna Montserrat (Mendialdeko Ogia)
• A network under construction, with a desire to grow, combine interests and projects
• "Zero Waste" gastronomy, championing local produce and Rioja Alavesa wine, innovation, community, and creative and seasonal hospitality

Vitoria-Gasteiz 2025 05 12

Mrs Amaia Barredo, Minister of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Fisheries of the Basque Government, participated this morning in the presentation of "Arabak0 Kolektiboa" a new group started by chefs from fourteen flagship Araba (Alava) restaurants in the Mantala Basque Gastronomy area. "With them, the entire Basque cuisine is now positioned among international benchmarks through this type of organization that rekindles decades of work and promotion," Barredo noted.

Edorta Lamo (Arrea), Luis Angel Pérez (144), Aitor Etxenike (Kromatiko), Beatriz Pascual (Almazen), María Laskibar and Iván Sancho (Kea), Jon Gil (Bideko), Belén Sandrin and Jokin Loma (Palacio de Añana), Luis Hernani (Mano Lenta), Gorka Arrieta (Sua), Cristian Solana (El Puntido), Jabi Sarasua (Karmine), Koldobika Galán and Asier Moreira (Bode), Aitor Ocio (Bodeguilla) and Anna Montserrat (Mendialdeko Ogia) make up Arabak0, a collective determined to promote Alava gastronomy through collaboration and identity.

“In the Basque Government's Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Fisheries, together with our HAZI Foundation and Mantala Basque Gastronomy, we promote the strengthening and evolution of Basque gastronomy by sharing knowledge, creativity, and sustainability,” emphasized Amaia Barredo at the presentation event held at the St Bárbara Market in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The presentation of this new group of chefs included Amaia Barredo; the director of the Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega; the coordinator of Mantala Basque Gastronomy, Imanol Zubelzu; as well as representatives of the collective members: Edorta Lamo (Arrea!), Aitor Etxenike (Kromatiko), Maria Laskibar (Kea), and Belen Sandrin (Añana Palace).

Chef Edorta Lamo explained that "Arabak0 Kolektiboa was born from the desire to create a network and a community, to learn together, to generate a solid narrative that positions Alava's gastronomy not only as a set of good practices or good products, but as a living form of culture. This is just the beginning. But the path, like good cooking, is developed slowly, with time, with listening, and with purpose."

Joxe Mari Aizega, director of the Basque Culinary Center, emphasized that "ArabaK0 represents a new generation of chefs committed to their environment, who understand that cooking goes far beyond technique: it is identity, it is territory, and it is culture. At the Basque Culinary Center, we promote these types of initiatives, born from a collective perspective and with a transformative vision, because they are essential for building a gastronomy with a future, rooted in the world, and, at the same time, open to the world."

Local Product

Furthermore, the members of Arabak0 Kolektiboa have agreed on a mutual foundation that guides the style of cuisine they wish to cultivate, as well as the type of connections they aspire to build within the sector: more collaborative, respectful, and purposeful.

Among their lines of action, several key commitments stand out. On the one hand, sustainability and zero waste: ArabaK0 is committed to a gastronomy that minimizes environmental impact, optimizes resources, and embraces "Zero Waste" practices, consistent with respect for the environment.

The defense of local produce and Rioja Alavesa wine is central. The collective champions the work of local producers and artisans, emphasizing seasonality and local origins, and positioning the area's wines as emblematic and gastronomic symbols.

In this community, innovation coexists with roots. They evolve their cuisine without losing its essence, incorporating new techniques without renouncing the culinary memory of Araba. They are guided by a firm conviction: that gastronomy is built on a community, through collaboration between professionals, mutual learning, and the desire to contribute to a stronger and more diverse sector. Continuous training and self-improvement, both in the kitchen and in the dining room, are essential pillars, as are