Moroccan Immigrant Crowned Spain’s Top Grill Master After 18-Year Journey

Mohamed El-Hamdy arrived at the port of Motril, in Granada in 2005 on board a patera coming from El Kelaa des Sraghna, a small village less than an hour from Marrakech. Then 16 years old, he works in a printing press and earns his first salary. But the minor is passionate about cooking and wanted to make a career in the restaurant industry. "At the age of 18, I did my first internships. I’ve always loved grilling or making lamb or veal skewers," he confides to La Verdad.

Mohamed has managed to make a name and reputation for himself. For the past seven years, he has been working at the La Tropical restaurant in Los Alcázares. Now 34 years old, the young man has won the award for the best grill in Spain in San Sebastián Gastronomika, ahead of great grill specialists from Navarre, Burgos, Álava, Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and even Granada. A career path he is proud of. But not only him. "My mother was overjoyed to learn about it. My family is very proud of me," rejoices Mohamed, who is married and a father of two children.

Juan Carlos Méndez, the owner of the La Tropical restaurant founded in 1936, is also very proud of Mohamed, who in addition to grills, also prepares typically Moroccan dishes such as couscous and tagine. "I hope that one day we will have a Michelin star," he wishes.

The number 1 barbecue in Spain is a passionate about well-done work. His secret, "a lot of care" in the cooking of the meat: "The steak must be at room temperature when it comes into contact with the fire. If this is not the case, the work is ruined," he explains. A practicing Muslim, Mohamed only does beef, chicken or lamb grills, and never pork. His specialty is the Friesian beef chop, a dish that also allowed him to win the prize in San Sebastián.