Joyful yet weary, the Manzano family feels the freshness of Asturias the moment they touch down. After a demanding 48 hours that included a trip to Murcia on Monday and a late return on Wednesday, they carried news of three Michelin stars for their family restaurant Casa Marcial. At La Salgar in Parres, the oldest and flagship hotel of their hospitality group, the recognition from the Michelin Guide was met with both personal pride and regional excitement, a milestone that resonates with readers from Canada and the United States who follow Asturian cuisine.
“We are very happy. Making history. It’s a personal thing, but we also love it for our region. Asturias deserves quality tourism, and this is a magnet for it. We have a beautiful geography and we need it,” said Nacho Manzano after arriving at the airport with his nephew Chus Sánchez Manzano. The three of them had just attended a gala in Murcia on Tuesday alongside 15 other chefs who hold the highest distinction in Spain. The audience rose to their feet, applauding for several minutes as the moment sank in. “We believe that we are appreciated and this is very important. It was such a great moment to see all our colleagues there, all this talent, and to feel respected by the entire industry. Exciting.”
Michelin Guide 2025: List of restaurants with new stars in Spain
However, the Manzanos keep their feet firmly on the ground. “After all, this is still the recognition of a gastronomic guide. The world does not end here,” Nacho remarks, though he concedes that the moment is meaningful. Michelin has stood for more than a century, acting as a kind of culinary bible for lovers of good food. It carries prestige, independence, and exacting criteria. Being placed among the sky is something to be celebrated, but the respect for the guide remains grounded in the craft.
Changes within the family are not new. Nacho and Esther opened Casa Marcial in 1993, earning the first Michelin star in 1999 for the 2000 guide, and the second in 2010, making it the first Asturias restaurant to reach that level. Esther also became the first woman in Asturias to earn a Michelin star for La Salgar, which she ran in Gijón until the pandemic and which has since reopened. Nacho received Spain’s National Gastronomy Award in 2021, one of the highest honors in the industry.
“They won’t change our lives”
The three stars at Casa Marcial will not rewrite their lives, they say. One star, two stars, three stars — none will replace their balance or their sense of responsibility. They remain mindful of what the recognitions signify. Chus Sánchez Manzano knows what comes next: “Okay, start cooking.” At the end of the day, the work of turning ingredients into memorable dishes remains the true focus.
That commitment will be celebrated with the whole La Salgar team, along with Marcial and Olga, Nacho’s parents, Esther, Sandra the room manager, and Olga in the offices, plus Chus’s grandparents. Esther recalled the moment she learned the family had entered the most exclusive culinary Olympus thanks to the children who built a modest bar and restaurant into a lasting enterprise. “I was so excited,” Sandra told us by phone. The journey began in a small Asturian village, and the family felt the pressure and pride light up in that moment. “When we set off for Murcia, we heard the news about the third star and we couldn’t believe it.”
And so it happened. The first three Michelin stars ever awarded to an Asturian restaurant belong to the Manzanos as a family effort. It was a difficult path, with moments of doubt and celebration alike. The sky over Asturias now shines a little brighter, and the region’s gastronomic scene gains a stronger voice on the world stage.