Marc Martinez / A chef of Fornalutx
By Shirley Roberts
Published in the Majorca Daily Bulletin
Sunday 13th March 2016
Marc is one of the children of the Soller Valley who watched their grandparents prepare food works of art. His Solleric family owned the Costa D’Or Hotel in Lluc Alcari near Deia which has been in his family for generations. These days the Hotel is leased to a great hotel chain but when Mark was a child the kitchen was presided over by Grandma who evolved her own Italian/Catalan combination long before it was trendy. The kitchen was the heart of the house and his playground was the rural and sea life of the rugged coast of the North West corner of Majorca. An idyllic place to grow and learn and Mark savoured every moment because he knew from a young age that his future was going to be in the kitchen.
The training available to Mark here in the 1990’s in Mallorca was unrivalled. The taste buds of Majorcan cuisine were being lit away from the comforting staples of the past. The new breed of chefs emerging at the time were specialising in Haute cuisine and Desserts and Mark was no exception. His pastry won prizes and he was selected to represent his college in other countries to take the message of Balearic cuisine to a larger audience.
Marc and the new chefs on the block have to fight the comfort food mentality that pervades Majorca. Every Sunday they watch as people queue for their favourite restaurants serving paella, croquettes, roast lamb and tumbet. The menus in many of these places have remained unchanged for years because that is what the people like. The canny chefs know that change has to be subtle and for some of them developing their own signature dishes and specialities can be the answer. Marc did his training in the finest Hotels in the Soller Valley such as Cas Xorc and La Vila and watched as the menus were created for traditional and new diners and change was brought about.
Marc settled his career in the lovely village of Fornalutx and took over the kitchens of Can Verdura Hotel and created the first Marcs Kitchen. For four years he delighted the palettes of the people of Fornalutx and became the place to be for celebrations and gatherings. His cooking style developed to incorporate even more of his Grandmothers legacy and bread making became a passion. Home made Focaccia bread is one of his dishes that everyone asks for and augments so many of the good things that he makes.
In 2014 La Cuina d’en Marc opened its doors and Marc achieved his ambition to own his own restaurant in paradise. There is only one road through Fornalutx and Marc is in the heart of it just opposite the Health Centre and the Car Park. The restaurant has thirty covers and the menu reflects influences from around the world together with the best of Grandma’s Italian. It is a fine restaurant with a twist as the bar gathers many locals and is a hub of the local community.
A staircase leads to a big basement bar which is the live music capital of Fornalutx when the right bands are in town. The Karaoke nights are very popular and Tuesday night DJ sets a winter life saver. The village can get a trifle quiet in the off season and the community are grateful for the live music and ambience they find here. Rock and Blues are the favourites of the Fornalutx crowd.
Marc’s Kitchen is a restaurant, a light lunch stop, a bar, a café, a music venue and host of great weddings and parties. The brasserie concept of all day eating, drinking and snacking is a concept that Marc is very comfortable with. The attention to detail that this requires means that Marc rarely leaves Fornalutx and is always in the heart of his kitchen. Fine chefs get many requests to give their time and energy to good causes and next week Mark has heeded the call.
The Cerebral Palsy Association of the Balearic Islands (ASPACE) are holding a three-day Show Cooking event from 17th to 20th March 2016. This is to raise awareness and funds for the work they do. Fourteen Chefs and five local winemakers are going to be creating a great event called Gastrotast at the Centre of Military History in San Miguel 69 in Palma. This is a gastronomic and audio visual show with the theme ‘Gastronomic journey in the Serra de Tramuntana’. You pay 3 euros per tasting and it is a great opportunity to see some of the finest Majorcan chefs in action.
The chefs that have been selected to take part in this show are held in high regard and their work is eagerly anticipated. Four Soller Valley chefs including Marc from Fornalutx are showing their skills for this great cause and are looking forward to sharing their skill and delight in food. This is a fascinating event bringing together the building, the chefs, the vineyards and the photography of the mountains in one place. ASPACE are a non profit making organisation working autonomously in each region of Spain. Fund raising for the people and the carers of those with cerebral palsy in the Balearics provides their only means of income.
Marc’s day to day life is at the heart of the village community of Fornalutx. This village is a truly independent community with its own Mayor. Heaven help you if you say that Fornalutx is part of Soller because if you do you are treading on history’s toes. Thousands pass through it every year on the walking trails of the Tramuntana mountains and many stop for a coffee promising themselves a return visit. Local people make Fornalutx a favoured weekend lunch pilgrimage and reservations are encouraged.
Marc spent a day recently at the Convent school in Soller with the children who were interested in considering a career in the Foodie world that he inhabits. The children dressed the part and were taken through the day in the life of a Balearic Chef. The food was great and the experience was second to none for the young people. It is a fact that most children here will work in catering at some part of their lives. Holiday work while they are studying for some and a true career for others. Marc was giving them the Career chefs perspective and a glimpse into the world he loves. The passion for food and the desire to share the ability is one that he believes is his to pass on.
Marc Martinez is an example of the Balearic Chefs of 2016 and he gives of himself and his skill every day in Fornalutx. His is not a seasonal role as he is open all year. Fine palates come to visit him and hungry children, the service and attention to detail is the same. His life is here in the Tramuntana with the occasional adventure into the wider world in Palma to represent the skills of the Soller Valley Chefs. He sees himself as a community Chef with a responsibility to the young people he meets to sell the excitement of food as a career.
The world of food is changing in Majorca as great chefs and fine restaurants emerge all over the island. In the Soller Valley we are particularly fortunate with the talent in our midst. In Fornalutx one of the finest is Marc Martinez, his reviews and recommendations speak for themselves. The fact that he is an all round nice guy who also gives back to his local community and to the charitable causes they hold dear is something I can tell you (he certainly wouldn’t). You can taste his work next week in Palma at Gastrotast or six days a week in Fornalutx at La Cuina d’en Marc. I hope you enjoy the experience…
