Michelin-starred chef Óscar Molina of La Gaia within Ibiza Gran Hotel has built his cooking around a contemporary interpretation of Mediterranean cuisine with island produce at its heart. At the restaurant, he explores the ingredients and culinary traditions of Ibiza through refined tasting menus that reflect the character of the Balearics.

In our interview, Molina discusses the importance of championing local producers, and the challenges of maintaining consistency within a seasonal hospitality operation.

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When did you first fall in love with cooking?

I think I first fell in love with cooking when I understood that food could create emotion. Of course, there is the discipline of the kitchen, the technique, the pressure and the rhythm of service, but behind all of that there is something very human.

Cooking allows you to tell a story without using too many words. It can speak about where you come from, what you value, the people around you and the place you are in. For me, that is what made gastronomy so powerful. It is not only about feeding someone well; it is about creating memory.

How would you describe your culinary style?

My style is Mediterranean, contemporary and deeply connected to Ibiza.

I am interested in cuisine that has technique, but also soul. At La Gaia, we do not want to create food that could exist anywhere. We want the guest to feel the island through the experience:  its sea, its landscape, its producers, its freedom and its contrasts.

Ibiza has a very particular energy. It can be intense and vibrant, but it also has silence, depth and extraordinary natural beauty. My cooking tries to translate that balance: emotion and restraint, refinement and freedom, tradition and evolution.

What is your culinary vision for the menu at La Gaia?

My vision for La Gaia is to create a dining experience that feels elegant, personal and connected to place.

The menu is designed as a journey, but not in a rigid way. That freedom is important to me. Fine dining should have structure and precision, but it should never feel cold or distant. It should feel alive.

At La Gaia, we want to express Ibiza in a more thoughtful way. The island is often associated with pleasure, and I believe gastronomy belongs naturally within that idea. But pleasure can also be reflective, emotional and deeply rooted in the land and sea. That is what we try to show through the menu.

Do you have a favourite dish on the menu? 

At the moment, I would choose the Carrot with Iberian pork bark foam and orange zest. It is a dish that shows how a simple ingredient can be transformed through technique, balance and sensitivity. The carrot remains at the heart of the dish, while the Iberian pork bark foam adds depth and the orange zest brings freshness.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned during your career?

That consistency is everything. It is possible to create one beautiful dish or one memorable service, but the real challenge is to do it again and again, every day, with the same precision, emotion and attention to detail. That is what separates a good restaurant from a truly serious one.

I have also learned the importance of humility. A restaurant is never finished. You have to keep listening: to your team, to the product, to the guest and to the place around you. Gastronomy is alive, and if you stop listening, you stop evolving.

What are the biggest challenges facing the hospitality sector at the moment?

One of the biggest challenges is building and maintaining strong teams, especially in a seasonal destination like Ibiza. Seasonality affects everything: staffing, suppliers, preparation and consistency. To operate at a high level, you need structure, focus and a team that shares the same commitment from the very beginning of the season.

For me, Michelin-level cooking is not only about what happens on the plate. It is about discipline, repetition and attention to detail across every part of the experience. It is about creating a culture where everyone understands the vision and feels responsible for protecting it.

Which chefs have inspired you?

I am inspired by chefs who have their own language and who are able to defend it with honesty. Technique is important, but what inspires me most is vision.

I also find a great deal of inspiration outside the kitchen. Farmers, fishermen, artisans, ceramicists and winemakers all form part of the gastronomic experience. A restaurant like La Gaia does not exist alone. It is connected to a wider community of people who care deeply about what they do.

What is your approach to sustainability in your cooking?

For me, sustainability begins with respect: respect for the product, for the season, for the producer and for the environment around us.

My philosophy has always been based on recovering the value of local produce and working closely with the people who make the island’s gastronomy possible. At La Gaia, we champion Balearic producers because true value does not always come from imported luxury ingredients. Often, the most meaningful ingredient is the one closest to you, if you understand how to treat it with intelligence and sensitivity.

Sustainability is also about community. We work with local farmers, fishermen, artisans and producers because food is a relationship. It is not only about reducing waste, although that matters. It is about giving value to the people, traditions and products that belong to this place.

What would you like your next project to be?

My next project is to continue developing La Gaia’s identity through The Lab, our research and development initiative. Each year, we select one product from the island and explore its potential through research, creativity and technique. This year, honey is our focus, allowing us to examine its relationship with Ibiza’s landscape, biodiversity and local producers, while finding new ways to express it across the menu. For me, this work is central to La Gaia’s evolution: continuing to innovate while remaining deeply connected to the island and its ingredients.

I would like La Gaia to contribute to Ibiza’s gastronomic development and help establish the island as a serious Mediterranean culinary destination, but always on its own terms. There is still so much to explore, from local produce and traditional recipes to preservation techniques, the relationship between land and sea, and the people who give the island its character.

What is your favourite dish, and who cooks it?

I would choose something very simple, cooked at home.

The dishes that stay with us are not always the most technical. Sometimes they are the ones connected to family, childhood, or a moment of calm. They are important because of who cooks them and what they make you feel.

Photography: © Luana Failla