Focusing on the story behind the restaurant Arzak, one of the pioneers of Spanish gastronomy, Arzak+Arzak offers the reader a whole new perspective by focusing on the unique recipes and those behind the process of creativity.

Originally published in Spanish in 2018 in 2018 and reissued in English in April 2020, Arzak + Arzak tells the story of Juan Mari, including ongoing, decade-long creative collaboration with his daughter Elena, the fourth generation working at Arzak Restaurant. With its extensive narrative text and stunning black-and-white portraits, the introductory sections reveal the background to the ongoing creative processes of the Arzak ‘laboratory’, where chefs Xabier Gutiérrez and Igor Zalakain work together to produce 50 new dishes a year, as well as the daily work of the restaurant and kitchen.

While there are some mainstream dishes in the book, such as nasturtium leafy bream and crispy lobster, like Arzak’s story, Arzac+Arzak is a Spanish modernist cookbook. Most of the recipes in the book can only be tried by a professional cook or a very serious home cook, but will also be a good memory for those who have a unique dining experience at the restaurant. Elena Arzak is quoted in the book saying that, ‘My biggest challenge is foreseeing the unpredictable taste of people and staying ahead of them’.