CHEFS mallorca gourmet

108 magazine S LVA “My mother was pleasantly surprised by the success but, at the same time, she felt she didn’t want to devote herself to full time catering at her age. Meanwhile, I had been working in music production in Madrid and at that point needed a change. I was looking for something creative, something to do with my hands. That summer I came to Mallorca for two months and ended up in the kitchen with my mother - and I loved it.” Maria is largely self-taught but draws heavily from the knowledge and skills she has learned from her mother. A defining moment came, though, when she started her own vegetable garden. “My own idea about gastronomy came to life. Cuisine to me is a sort of interpretation of the locality: the cooking that I’m interested in is closely linked to the surrounding countryside.” The fruit and vegetables that are served from her kitchen have been grown in her garden. It is a testimony to her background that she chose to work with the local cuisine and went on to realise the important influence of gastronomy on the environment. The calendar has forever given a culinary cycle, depending on the availability, abundance and quality of different produce and seasonal produce is the key to many delicious local specialities. These are the fundamental ideas behind Maria’s restaurant, Ca Na Toneta, in Caimari. Her sister Teresa expertly deals with the front of house, while Maria, just two steps away in the kitchen, uses her alchemists’s skills to mix textures, aromas and flavours. Even with her eyes closed, Maria Solivellas can tell the difference between homegrown vegetables and those grown under plastic. This ability comes from deep within her background. “We always ate very well at home: as such I was educated to have a discerning palate and this became an intrinsic part of me.” How her family entered the gastronomy business is quite a funny story. “Fifteen years ago my mother and my sister read ‘Como agua para chocolate’ and there and then decided that they were going to open a restaurant - without any previous experience. “They adapted the family house, set up four tables and hired a cook - only to discover within three months that my mother, with her own culinary knowledge, was perfectly able to do the cooking herself. And it worked! Maria Solivellas Back to her roots