IN RESIDENCE SESSIONS BY RIOJA PRESENTS ITS PROGRAMME 2025
Once again, the Rioja Qualified Designation of Origin turns Madrid into an international gastronomic destination, and on this occasion brings the proposals of chefs James Henry (France), Sarah Cicolini (Italy) and Poul Andrias Ziska (Faroe Islands).
- The annual event of the gastronomic consultancy Mateo&co returns in its In Residence Sessions by Rioja format with a series of pop-up restaurants in which prestigious international chefs bring their gastronomic experience to Madrid for a few days.
- Rioja, known for its excellent wines, will bring in 2025 chefs James Henry of Le Doyenné (France) from May 21 to 25, Sarah Cicolini of Santo Palato (Rome), from September 17 to 21 and Poul Andrias Ziska, former executive chef of KOKS (**Michelin) and creator of PAZ (Faroe Islands), from October 15 to 19.
- With this series of events, Rioja shows its connection with international gastronomic markets such as France, Italy and the Faroe Islands, where its presence stands out. The diversity of the wines offered by the QDO Rioja will make it possible to combine and enhance the dishes of international haute cuisine, thus turning the participating restaurants into “embassies” of Rioja in their countries.
- The pop-ups will be held at the Semilla Food Studio, located at Calle José Ortega y Gasset 67 in Madrid, and reservations can be made through the website inresidence.es.
Madrid, April 10, 2025 – Following the success of previous editions, the QDO Rioja and the specialized consultancy Mateo&Co are relaunching the annual In Residence event in the capital with the “In Residence Sessions by Rioja”, maintaining a more casual format, with shorter pop-ups over several days, but with an extensive line-up that will cover the whole of 2025.
Chef James Henry will be in charge of opening this season with his proposal from his restaurant and modern farm Le Doyenné, located in the historic grounds of the Château de Saint-Vrain, 41 kilometers south of Paris, which can be enjoyed from May 21 to 25. Sarah Cicolini, the Italian chef of the Santo Palato trattoria (Rome), will visit from September 17 to 21, and chef Poul Andrias Ziska (PAZ) will arrive from the remote Faroe Islands from October 15 to 19. The QDO Rioja, known for its excellent wines, will be present at each of these sessions, pairing each of the international chefs’ culinary proposals, thus elevating the gastronomic experience with its diversity and quality.
The sessions will take place at the Semilla Food Studio, located at Calle José Ortega y Gasset 67, in the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid. This space premiered at the pop-ups in 2023 with Jakob Zeller and Ethel Hoon, head chefs at the legendary Faviken restaurant (Sweden) until its closure. Chefs from the U.S. and Europe have been the protagonists of past In Residence Sessions, including restaurants such as Osip (Sommerset, UK), Kasama (Chicago) or Kadeau (Copenhagen, Denmark); along with the most recognized ramen proposal in the world, that of chef Ivan Orkin.
The menus and their pairing with Rioja wines will be announced in the coming weeks. The calendar is as follows:
In Residence Sessions 2025
Le Doyenné
France
May 21 – 25
Chef James Henry
Santo Palato
Rome, Italy
September 17 – 21
Chef Sarah Cicolini
PAZ
Faroe Islands
October 15 – 19
Chef Poul Andrias Ziska
Schedules, prices and reservations
Please confirm, in each case, the number of services and the price of the menu on the website
Venue
Semilla Food Studio
67, José Ortega y Gasset St.
About the restaurants and chefs that will be part of In Residence Sessions by Rioja in 2025
James Henry, Le Doyenné (Saint-Vrain, France)
James Henry, along with Shaun Kelly, leads Le Doyenné (Michelin Green Star and #70 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024) , a project that goes beyond catering. Located on the historic grounds of the Château de Saint-Vrain, 41 kilometers south of Paris, Le Doyenné is a restaurant, guesthouse and farm. The castle, with a legacy that includes the Countess de Barry and the Borghese family, has been home to the Mortemart family for more than two centuries.
Born in Australia and raised in different countries, James Henry discovered his connection to food in the family home. His journey into professional cooking began in his early twenties, after time in Byron Bay and Sumatra, when he decided to follow his calling and move to Melbourne to train with renowned chef Andrew McConnell. Later, in Paris, he opened the iconic Au Passage, followed by Bones, establishing himself as a key figure in the city’s dining scene.
Together with the Mortemarts, Henry and Kelly have restored and transformed Le Doyenné-the family’s name for their century-old barn-into a space where gastronomy and the land converge in harmony, bringing to life their vision of the ideal French farmhouse.
The vegetable garden, the epicenter of the project, is cultivated following regenerative agricultural practices that revitalize the soil and preserve biodiversity. It grows native vegetables that form the essence of the restaurant’s cuisine, where micro-seasons shape the menus. Each morning, the team harvests a selection of the choicest vegetables and fruits of the moment, picked at their peak and complemented by some of France’s finest produce, such as game, poultry, dairy products and seafood.
For Le Doyenné, seasonality exists not only in the orchard, but throughout the food chain, from oysters to cheese to game.
Sarah Cicolini, Santo Palato (Rome, Italy)
Born in 1988 in Abruzzo, Sarah Cicolini is one of the most important personalities in the reinvention of Italian cuisine (recognized with the Women In Food 2025, Italy). She opened Santo Palato eight years ago, a modern trattoria and a living tribute to Roman and Abruzzo cuisine, which immediately gained critical acclaim for its authentic and contemporary interpretation of the classics, positioning itself as one of Italy’s trend-setting restaurants.
The New York Times wrote of his restaurant: “Cicolini does not force the evolution of the classics from his small kitchen. Rather, her menu is quite traditional, and she knows how to extract intense flavors from the best local ingredients with restrained techniques, a rarity among Rome’s young chefs.”
Sarah Cicolini did not follow a traditional academic path to become a chef, but learned the culinary art through experience, supported by the belief that cooking is first and foremost an act of love and care for others. She previously worked at other prominent restaurants in Rome, including Metamorfosi – Roy Caceres’ restaurant – where she met her current sous chef, Mattia Bazzurri, a Roman and yeast expert.
Santo Palato (included in the 50 Best Discovery list) recovers and updates traditional recipes from central Italy. Cicolini’s cuisine is expressive, focused on the chef’s origins and based on the careful selection of raw materials and a zero waste philosophy.
Poul Andrias Ziska, PAZ Restaurant (Faroe Islands)
Inspired by Faroese food culture and the stories he can share through it, young chef Poul Andrias Ziska is the architect and creator of PAZ, the new restaurant that marks his return to Tórshavn, his hometown, after more than a decade as executive chef at KOKS (** Michelin).
When the Faroe Islands were added to the Nordic Countries guide in 2017, KOKS came in with a Michelin star (and Poul Andrias Ziska also received the 2019 Young Chef award). In 2019, KOKS moved up to two Michelin stars.
PAZ marks a new stage in his culinary career, bringing him back to his roots after years at the helm of KOKS in the Faroe Islands and Greenland. His new venture focuses on Faroese food culture, sustainability and the transmission of profound stories through cuisine.
Each PAZ dish tells a story of the Faroe Islands: their wild seas, rugged landscapes and age-old traditions. Through collaboration with local fishermen, farmers and artisans, each bite reflects not only the islands and the chef’s commitment to preserving the natural beauty for the future.
PAZ team also embraces the rich Faroese food culture, incorporating traditional methods such as ræst, a unique fermentation process driven by the cold, salty air of the islands. These techniques create deep, layered flavors that pay homage to centuries-old practices while inspiring modern creations.
About IN Residence
After eight editions, #InResidence returns to turn Madrid into a meeting point for lovers of haute cuisine. Below, we share the previous editions and the participating chefs:
2024
#KadeauInResidenecbyRioja, Nicolai Nørregaard, owner and co-founder of Kadeau restaurant, with two locations in Denmark.
#OsipInResidencebyRioja, Merlin Labron-Johnson, chef at Osip in Somerset.
#KasamaInResidencebyRioja, chefs at Kasama in Chicago, first Filipino restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star.
#IvanRamenInResidence, chef and owner of Ivan Ramen, best ramen bar in New York.
2023
#Jakob&EthelInResidence, head chefs at the legendary restaurant Faviken (Sweden) until its closure and Klosterle (Austria).
2022
#BoragóInResidence, Most Sustainable Restaurant in the World in 2021, Most Sustainable Restaurant in Latin America in 2018, #4 in Latin America in 2018 and #29 in the World in 2023 for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
2019
#HisaFrankoInResidence, 2 Michelin stars, World’s Best Female Chef in 2017 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and #21 on this year’s absolute list.
2018
#MirazurInResidence, 3 Michelin stars, by chef Mauro Colagreco, currently ranked #1 Best Restaurant in the World by The World’s 50 Best.
#CasaMarcialInResidence, with 2 Michelin-starred Spanish chef Nacho Manzano.
2017
#ColombiaInResidence, with the 4 best Colombian chefs of the 50 Best Latin America 2017 list.
2016
#AlineaMadrid, with 3 Michelin stars, by American chef Grant Achatz.
About the QDO Rioja
This 2025 marks the Centenary of the QDO Rioja, the oldest Qualified Designation of Origin in Spain, dating back to 1925, and the first to receive Qualified certification in 1991. With its recently launched campaign #VíveteUnRioja, it is positioned as one of the Designations of Origin in the world that offers the greatest guarantees regarding the quality and authenticity of its wines, thanks to the demanding regulations and self-monitoring carried out by its Control Board. This, together with its pioneering character, its commitment to innovation and sustainability, have been decisive in achieving the leading position that Rioja wines occupy in the market, both nationally and internationally. Rioja represents more than 40% of the value of wines with Designation of Origin in Spain and is present in 136 countries.
With more than 66,000 hectares, the QDO Rioja is made up of three areas with different winegrowing characteristics – Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental – covering 144 municipalities, with 600 wineries and more than 13,000 winegrowers; a plurality that guarantees different types of wines, which value the singular origin and diversity, always with a guaranteed high quality.
Organized by Mateo&co
Founded in 2000, Mateo&co is an agency specialized in strategic marketing and communication that develops brand and communication strategies for some of the best known companies in the world of gastronomy, food and beverages. As a promoter of new chefs and premium gastronomic projects, it has established itself as the first strategic branding, marketing and gastronomic communication consultancy in Spain.
Working with chefs, their personal brand development, their internationalization, their restaurant businesses or their concepts. Working with restaurants, from the concept to the branding, the optimization of their resources, their client portfolio or their public relations or working with big brands that want to position themselves within gastronomy and explore this territory.
Mateo&co creates brands for food, from branding to packaging or channel activation. And represents and organizes major national and international gastronomic events collaborating with prestigious brands such as Michelin Spain, Institute of Masters of Wine, The World’s 50 Best Restaurant or International Wine Challenge. Among his own projects are MadrEAT, the first streetfood market in Spain, and the #InResidence project.
Since October 2020, Mateo&Co has been part of Vocento, the leading communication group in Spain, which also includes Vocento Gastronomía, which brings together the main food-related events companies in Spain (GSR) and some of the most recognized brands in the gastronomic conferences/events scene (Madrid Fusión, San Sebastián Gastronomika, among others).
PRESS CONTACT
Vanessa Kroop – vanessak@mateoandco.es – M: +34 608 849 809
Micaela Muro Lara – micaelam@mateoandco.es – M: + m: 644 121 645