West

The jewel of one of the world's most exclusive restaurants, collected in 6 volumes full of experience, struggle, effort and excellence.

More than 1,000 pages encompass the Aponiente universe, an extension in body and soul of Ángel León.

Welcome to the captivating story of Ángel León. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the restaurant's history, a place that looks to the sea, cooks with seafood, and thinks in terms of salt. It's a beautiful journey through texts in which Ángel León pours himself out, both professionally and emotionally; through essays on products, spices, techniques… all culminating in 1,070 pages and over 150 creations from the most unique and original restaurant on the world gastronomic scene.

Volume 1. Past, present and future.

Volume 2. Inspiration and Play.

Volume 3. The marsh, the environment.

Volume 4. Tradition and caresses.

Volume 5. Soul and classicism.

Volume 6. Sweet Salt.

Aponiente is the restaurant led by chef Ángel León, known worldwide for his commitment to ocean conservation and management through research into new ingredients that reduce fishing pressure and promote sustainable fishing. Ángel León uses marine species historically discarded from the sea, and even unknown to humankind. This revolutionary and avant-garde chef has discovered new foods for humans, such as marine phytoplankton, and has cultivated plants like Zostera marina for the first time in history. For this work, he was awarded three Michelin stars in 2017, and two years later received the first-ever Michelin Green Star for Sustainable Gastronomy, in recognition of his unwavering commitment to sustainable gastronomy.

Every day, the Aponiente team immerses themselves in their own dream, in the salt marshes and waters that bathe the coast of Cádiz in Andalusia, separated from Africa by a 14-km strait. The application of ecological principles in their cuisine, research, gastronomic creativity, and the maximum use of ingredients, combined with their environmental awareness efforts, are the hallmarks of Aponiente. Some gastronomic examples of this include: mackerel sobrasada, sea bass mortadella, sea ham (bluefin tuna belly), sea bass sausage, whelks, moray eel skin transformed into crispy pork rind, hake collagen prepared as noodles, tuna tail osso buco, and plankton tarte tatin.

Aponiente focuses all its efforts on achieving new developments that allow it to continue creating seafood dishes to redefine the concept of gastronomy as a transformative force in 21st-century society and address important challenges such as nature conservation through cuisine, for which it collaborates with international NGOs. Aponiente, therefore, boasts a strong international presence and, every two years, organizes a global gathering of chefs called Despesques, based on sustainability and reflection on the role of food in the future. Aponiente continues to demonstrate the vital connection between gastronomy and nature. Aponiente challenges us to consider the richness and our lack of knowledge about that infinite and mysterious sea, celebrating discarded species and promoting the conservation and management of salt marshes, estuaries, and coastal wetlands as sources of marine life. As part of his commitment to spreading this message and raising awareness in society about a more committed and sustainable cuisine, as well as with the research and development of Aponiente's projects, chef Ángel León gives presentations and participates in the most prestigious national and international congresses, as well as in academic institutions such as Harvard University, King Abdullah University or the Culinary Institute of America.