World-renowned chef Ángel León, known as “El Chef del Mar,” is a pioneer in seafood gastronomy and an influential figure in sustainability. He was awarded three Michelin Stars in 2017 and a Michelin Green Star in 2019 for his restaurant Aponiente, which he founded in El Puerto de Santa María in 2007.

He has introduced previously unused marine resources such as marine phytoplankton, seaweed (Zostera marina), and sea ham into human consumption. Through his R&D work, the chef uses all marine products at Aponiente based on the zero-waste principle. He has been named a “Food Hero” by the FAO, won the Science Award at The Best Chef Awards, and in 2023 became the Spanish ambassador for The Sustainable Restaurant Association. Chef Ángel León also earned two Michelin stars with his restaurant Alevante. León also appeared in Netflix’s Chef’s Table documentary.

In his six-volume, 1,200-page book titled Aponiente, León recounts his personal and professional journey, the challenges he faced in advocating for seafood cuisine and ecological restoration, and continues to work on projects such as educational initiatives, academic lectures, and international sustainability events like Despesques to transform gastronomy into a tool for nature conservation and social transformation.