Theresa Barrenechea

Teresa Barrenechea is the author of Cuisines of Spain and the award-winning The Basque Table, recipient of the prize for "Best New Publication" of 1998 by the Spanish Nation  al Academy of Gastronomy, and the "Best Regional Cuisine Book" award at the International Cookbook Review's 1998 World Cookbook Fair Awards. She is one of the most eminent authorities on Spanish cooking, specifically the cuisine of the Basque region, in the United States. She is the chef-owner of a Basque restaurant called Marichu, located in Manhattan. Her restaurant is renowned for serving the most authentic and inspired Basque food in the U.S. Barrenechea is a native of Bilbao, Spain, a coastal city in the region known as Basque country. Before opening her own restaurant in the United States, she helped design and develop menus for several restaurants in Spain that specialized in Basque cooking. She has also worked at Jai Alai, a Madrid restaurant known as one of the best Basque restaurants in the city and which is owned by her family.