Fonda Gaig

Carles Gaig was born in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Horta. His family had a long history in the restaurant business, having owned the ‘Taberna d’en Gaig’ since 1869.

He grew up helping his family around the restaurant but it wasn’t until the 1970s that his mother’s blindness forced him to take over the reins of the Taberna. The influence of his mother and great grandmother are evidenced in the great care with which he prepares their classic recipes today.

His interest in bringing together tradition with innovation led to the 1989 renovation of their traditional restaurant which became Restaurant Gaig, which went on to be awarded a Michelin star in 1993.

In 2004, Carlos, along with his wife Fina Navarro and the whole restaurant team, closed the doors of the legendary Horta restaurant and moved to the Eixample district in the heart of Barcelona. They opened a new restaurant, Gaig, in the Hotel Cram where to this day Carles continues to explore his fascination with the fusion of avante-garde and market cuisine.

In March 2008 the married couple opened a new establishment, the Fonda Gaig, in Corcega Street, also in the Eixample district of Barcelona. Fonda Gaig’s menu is replete with many traditional Catalan recipes.

Carles' philosophy

To know Carles’s philosophy is easy. You simply follow him on his daily visit to the Boqueria food market in Las Ramblas in Barcelona, and watch the care he takes in personally choosing the produce that will later be served in the restaurant. Carles watches over the delivery of all ingredients to the restaurant, morning and afternoon. Carles says,“When I say fresh fish, it is truly fresh”. One is reminded of his staunch defense of good food when he says, “Food produce should be allowed to maximise the potential of all its characteristics, combining them with other elements, yet doing so in a nonaggressive way”.

His goal in his work is best summed up in a phrase which illustrates his enterprising spirit: "Always looking forward but remembering the past".