Spanish chef José Pizarro reveals ‘lovely’ Victoria Beckham’s slightly unusual dinner order (and the one thing she did that delighted staff)
The 47-year-old King Of Tapas has fed everyone from Jude Law to Monica Lewinsky and Tracey Emin
“SHE had a small green salad,” says José Pizarro, recalling the time Victoria Beckham popped into the Borough Market restaurant he was running.
“She was dining with her son and ordered lots of different dishes for them. What a delightful woman! She was really lovely to the waiters – and left a very generous tip.”
But Posh isn’t the first A-lister to love José’s acclaimed plates. The 47-year-old chef - dubbed the King of Tapas, such is his influence on the Spanish food scene in Britain - has fed everyone from Jude Law to Monica Lewinsky and Tracey Emin.
Celebrities regularly flock to his eponymous restaurant, which is nestled on Bermondsey Street near London Bridge.
Not bad for a guy who came to the UK 19 years ago, unable to speak a word of English and with just £250 in his back pocket.
José, who will be at the Abergavenny Food Festival on Friday, grew up in Extremadura in central-western Spain, in the tiny village of Talaván. His parents were farmers and he spent his childhood helping his dad produce vegetables, dairy products and meats.
“We’d drink milk straight from the cow. Aah… it was still warm and unbelievably delicious,” he said. “And my mama used to make the most amazing churros.”
José, keen to avoid a life of farm labour and make money, decided to train as a dental technician. “I’m very good with my hands and knew it would be easy to get a job,” he said. “But I wasn’t passionate about it.”
While waiting for his position to begin he did a three month cookery course – and quickly found his “calling”. He said: “As a dental technician you spend a lot of time behind a desk, it wasn’t for me. I’m very sociable, I love people. Studying wasn’t a waste though, I learned to be very organised and tidy – that’s important in the kitchen.”
José focused on learning as much about food and cooking as he could. He went on to work at El Chapin de la Reina, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Madrid, and then became head chef at Julio Reoyo’s El Mesón de Doña Filo.
Then, following a chance drink with an English friend in 1998 he decided to move to London. “I could barely say ‘hello’ in English but I knew that I needed to learn about different cuisines, not just Spanish,” he said. “In London there was Chinese, Portuguese, Indian, Thai food… I fell in love with it.”
José began working at Gaudi, a Spanish restaurant in east London, before moving to Eyre Brothers in Shoreditch where he became head chef. His English developed quickly as he bantered with the kitchen staff. He stayed here until Monika Linton of Brindisa, one of the restaurant suppliers, approached him about opening an eatery.
Getting Brits to ditch their meat and two veg in favour of small plates was no easy feat. “British people were so used to having a starter, a main course and a dessert. Tapas was a surprise,” he said.
“But people loved it. It’s a social way of eating and brings everyone together. Brits are open to different things but I never thought it would be such a success. They also loved the open kitchen and seeing the chef at work.”
One thing he struggled to get Brits to understand was cooking with olive oil. “I went to Manchester 16 years ago and did a demo in Selfridges. I used olive oil and a few people looked at me like I was crazy,” he said. “They didn’t want to taste something cooked with olive oil as they said they use it to clean their ears - but this was 10 years ago!”
José, who prides himself on quality, simple, seasonal cooking using the freshest possible ingredients, believes English food gets an unfair rap. “The selection of ingredients here is amazing,” he said. “Plus, you can get a delicious lunch for so cheap. The street food scene is unrivalled.”
In June 2011 he opened José, a small tapas and sherry bar in Bermondsey. “In Spain it’s tradition to name a restaurant after yourself, it’s an extension of who you are,” he says.
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It was a success and that December he opened Pizarro. In 2015 he opened his third venue, José Pizarro in Broadgate Circle in the City.
José, who has a partner called Peter and lives in Kennington, London, regularly goes back to Spain to see his mum, Isabel, 85.
José follows the ethos of his late grandfather when it comes to healthy eating. “Not everything needs to be super healthy all the time.
"My grandfather ate fat every day and drank half a bottle of wine and lived a fabulous life to the age of 95. He worked hard, he ate vegetables every day. You need to be sensible.”
Hear that Posh? Now pass the croquetas.
José Pizarro will be discussing his life in food at the Abergavenny Food Festival on Friday 14 September. .