Nini Rivera, New Head Chef of the Two-Starred Rondeño, Bardal

The chef, Nini Rivera, has been named head chef of the two-starred restaurant in Ronda, Bardal. Considered one of the best young pastry chefs in Spain, she now takes the helm of the flagship of the Benito Gómez group, the renowned chef from Ronda who also oversees the restaurants Tragatá, with locations in Ronda and Málaga, and the restaurant Dalmar, in San Roque (Cádiz).

Rivera, who arrives at this position following the promotion of Manu Romero to executive chef of the group, has stated that she takes on this role with a mix of “joy” and “responsibility” due to its significance.

Moreover, she acknowledges that when she arrived seven years ago at the kitchens of Tragatá from her native Mexico, she could not have imagined reaching this level in one of the country’s most important kitchens. “I feel very happy and grateful for this new opportunity, grateful to Benito, to Merche, to Manu, to my team. If seven years ago someone had told me when I arrived at Tragatá that I would be the head chef at Bardal, I might not have believed it,” she remarked.

In this regard, she has explained that her experience at this restaurant has taught her to respect the kitchen, as “it has been many years of sacrifice, learning, good days and also bad ones, the kitchen at Bardal has marked a before and after in my life, thanks to Bardal I respect the kitchen.”

As the first woman to reach this responsibility, she noted that “I feel proud and happy to be the first woman to be head chef of the restaurant, I think this also makes a difference for all the girls who dream of one day leading a kitchen like this, to know that there are no limits.”

Indeed, the kitchen at Bardal is an example of how women can achieve their goals in a traditionally male-dominated field, with two other women leading the cold and pastry sections: Sonia Castro and Laura González, respectively.

Rivera also had words of gratitude for chef Benito Gómez, the main person in charge of the restaurant, stating that “I am very grateful to Benito for trusting me to run the kitchen of his house, for his patience, and for sharing his knowledge and teaching me so many things.”

However, she does not forget the great responsibility that comes with leading the kitchen of a restaurant with two Michelin stars, two Repsol suns and rated by the Macarfi guide for two consecutive years as the best restaurant in Andalucía. “I feel confident and sure that I can do it,” she noted.