Dr. Miguel Sanchez Romera & L’Esguard

Born in 1964 in Cordoba, Argentina to Spanish immigrants, Miguel studied medicine at Argentina’s University of Cordoba, became a neurologist, and moved to Spain.  But also, while he was young, he studied the arts and decided on cooking to express his artistic side, while practicing the science of neurology.  

Later Dr. Miguel was appointed as Head of the Neurological Department at Spain’s nearby Hospital Policlinica del Valles.  He and his wife, Cristina, then opened L’Esguard Restaurant in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, just north of Barcelona.  He worked at the hospital Monday through Wednesday and opened and cooked at L’Esguard from Thursday through Sunday.  Within two years, he received a Michelin star.   One of his regular customers was Great Chef Ferran Adrià of El Bulli, 40 miles north of there.  In May of 2001, the Great Chefs team showed up at L’Esguard to tape Dr. Miguel, for the Discovery Channel’s new television series, Great Chefs of the World (episode #246).

In 2008, Chef Miguel decided to move to the USA, and closed down L’Esguard.   In 2012, he opened Romera New York, within the Dream Downtown hotel, in the meatpacking district.  It closed six months later in 2013, after the New York Times issued a bad review. Stay tuned, thisbio won’t end here!