Casa Gerardo (eBook), Marcos Morán

“No one should expect a book about history. This is a book about Casa Gerardo, not about the history of Casa Gerardo.” Marcos Morán, from the fifth generation at the helm of the restaurant in Prendes (Asturias), summarizes the philosophy of the book Casa Gerardo: 50 Steps of Contemporary Cuisine. Published by Montagud Editores, the book explains and analyzes how the chef and his family always look to the future with pride, a rebellious spirit, and a very valuable treasure: nearly 135 years of experience, pure living history of gastronomy. Thus, these 50 Steps encompass “50 significant milestones, which may revolve around a raw ingredient, a concept, or a way of understanding the kitchen or the dining room,” explains Javi Antoja de la Rosa, the book's editor and director of Montagud Editores.

Pedro Morán, father of Marcos and representative of the fourth generation of the century-old restaurant, works hand in hand with his son to reinvent the tradition that lives within the walls of Casa Gerardo.

“I think this is going to be important, not only for us, but for Asturian cuisine, which is really going through one of the most brilliant moments in its history,” he says.

The book features a contribution from José Andrés. The Asturian chef, based in the United States, wrote the epilogue. His text analyzes the important role the Prendes family has played in both Spanish gastronomy and the Principality of Asturias. “To know him without knowing the Morán family is to only get half the story,” the chef states in the book.