He started out at the Picador restaurant in the Hotel La Zambra and is now the executive chef at this luxury hotel - formerly known as Byblos - situated in the municipality of Mijas. This Costa Rican chef decided to move to Spain in 2016 and, after completing his studies at the Basque Culinary Centre, joined the Michelin-starred Zaldiaran restaurant in Vitoria.

He later played a part in the opening of the iconic Hotel Santa Catalina in the Canary Islands, one of Spain’s historic establishments, before joining La Zambra Resort in April 2022 as head chef at the Picador restaurant. In 2024, he took full charge of the resort’s culinary offering as executive chef.

Among his objectives are to establish Picador as a culinary benchmark and to aim for significant accolades, as well as to retain the hotel’s Michelin Key qualification, thereby strengthening its position in the luxury segment.

After almost two years, I’ve returned to Picador and the first thing I’ve noticed is the substantial change in its culinary offering. The cuisine is now much more firmly rooted in its Andalusian heritage, as can be seen in dishes such as ‘morrillo de atún’ (tuna cheek), stewed to perfection so that the cut retains a melt-in-the-mouth texture, with a subtle and carefully measured creative touch from Juanjo, it is served with a light celeriac purée that enhances and complements the whole dish. Smoothness, an extremely tender texture and a traditional flavour rooted in solid culinary principles – a must-try for anyone who loves this cut of tuna.

If we’re looking for a bit more creativity, then you should opt for squid tartare sliced very fine, served with a tomato-water gazpacho, where it is precisely this ethereal gazpacho that provides almost all the flavour to this tartare, with the squid serving merely adding a touch of saltiness to the dish as a whole.

Opposite this tartare on the menu is one made with aged beef, served on a brioche bun. I have no complaints about the cut of the meat, nor about the seasoning, although here Juanjo really ought to do away with the brioche for many reasons; in my view, there are two in particular that, on their own, are more than enough to alter the concept of this classic tartare: one is the use of a bread that has become far too popular, and the other is the aftertaste of warm butter that permeates the entire piece of meat.

Of the starters I tried, I must admit that both the lobster croquette and the black pudding croquette with flower cheese are, without a doubt, among the best in terms of their preparation, cooking and flavour that you’ll find in this section of the menu, alongside broken, fried and ‘bravas’ potatoes, or the seared avocado with tuna belly and black aioli.

If one were to define Juanjo Solano’s cuisine at Picador, one would have to say that it stands out for its skilful execution and respect for locally sourced produce, above all other considerations.