Barrafina appoints Angel Zapata Martin executive head chef

Barrafina, the collection of Spanish tapas restaurants owned by Sam and Eddie Hart, has appointed Angel Zapata Martin executive head chef across its three sites in central London.

He replaces Nieves Barragán Mohacho, who stepped down from the role in February with group general manager Josè Etura to concentrate on a new project together.

Martin will work closely with the head chefs of each individual Barrafina, as well as new group general manager Aurelija Sovaite.

Barcelona-born Martin was previously sous chef at Santi Santamaria's three-Michelin-starred Catalan restaurant, Can Fabes in Barcelona, head chef of Santamaria's Ossiano in Dubai, and head chef and teacher at Barcelona's Hofmann School and its Michelin-starred restaurant, Hofmann. Angel was most recently a private chef, working in Ibiza, San Tropez, Mégeve and London.

Sam Hart said: "Angel brings a wealth of experience from Barcelona, the Balearics, South America, the UAE and further. He's worked across the board from fine dining to casual and I was awed by his talent, meticulous attention and intuitive grasp of what Barrafina is, along with a passion to carry the torch onwards. We're thrilled to welcome him on board."

Martin said: "It's an honour to take up the executive head chef position in a restaurant loved by so many and to have the confidence of a team I have so much respect for. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in."

Nieves Barragán Mohacho to leave Barrafina >>

Original Barrafina restaurant to relocate to Quo Vadis >>

Sam and Eddie Hart plan third Barrafina >>

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