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TRAVELLER
streets, there’s an unmistakable buzz – chic locals duck
into smart shop fronts, while the district of La Lonja
thrums with busy restaurants and tapas bars. Indeed,
food is a big part of this story: seven restaurants boast
Michelin stars – quite a feat for such a small place –
and, in Marc Fosh, Majorca even has its own culinary
poster boy. Owner of three restaurants in Palma, a
cookery school and a consultancy, Fosh is the go-to
name when a high-profile event on the island needs
catering, such as the Luis Vuitton opening.
“There has been enormous change,” he says. “The
wine industry has flourished, some of the world’s best
olive oils are being produced here, and there’s a growing
slow-food movement promoting local fruit and
vegetable varieties that had almost disappeared.”
Fosh opened his flagship eatery, Simply Fosh, in
2009 and the response, he says, has been terrific.
Smart, modern and making full use of Majorca’s now-
excellent local produce, his food has, unsurprisingly,
been well received. It’s not fussy, but it’s flawlessly
executed. “We decided not to over-complicate and to
focus on good food at good prices,” he says. Misa, the
chef ’s newly-opened brasserie, is equally good value,
and its vibrant take on Mediterranean classics has
proved an instant hit with Palma’s new dining class.
Fosh isn’t fromMajorca – or Spain, for that matter.
He comes from Kent, in England, but moved to San
Sebastián on the Spanish mainland in 1991 and was so
taken with Spain’s foodie culture that he stayed.
“I knew when I arrived that something special was
starting to happen in Spain. It was refreshing, because
there was a certain simplicity to the food, with natural
flavours, very few ingredients on a plate and lightness.”
Even then, he could see the impact Spanish cooking
– such as that of a then-unknown chef by the name
of Ferran Adrià – would have on gastronomy. A
six-month trip to San Sebastián became a five-year
stay, before he headed to Majorca.
Fosh also holds the impressive accolade of being
the only British chef ever to have won a Michelin star
in Spain, which he secured while at Majorca’s Read’s
Hotel. And he’s in no doubt why the island is now
buzzing. “Majorca has grown up,” he says. “Palma is
BUSINESS
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MAJORCA
now a really cool little city with so much going on.”
Across the Balearic isle, there’s ample evidence
that investors are keen to cash in on the influx of
well-heeled visitors. Agro-tourism projects are thriving
– there are now around 200 rural properties where
guests can experience an authentic Majorcan way of
life – and the property market is also booming. It may
not have reached the pre-recession levels of 2008,
when house prices matched Barcelona and Madrid,
but the average sale price of a residence in the island’s
south-west is €1.2m, driven by great demand in the
second-home market.
If you want to see an area where money is really
being lavished, then head to the isle’s western tip. At
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Meet three of Majorca’s brightest business faces
THE ISLAND CHAMPION
Apioneer of agro-tourism,
Joan Bonnin, 50, has spent the
past 15 years showing visitors
that there’s more to Majorca
than sun and sand. He’s a former President of
the AgroturismoAssociation, and now runs
Casas de Son Barbassa, an agro-resort that
makes it own produce, including olive oil.
THE COFFEE KING
It’s no exaggeration to say that
Juan Picornell has done more
to turbo-charge café culture
in Majorca than anyone. The
40-year-old is behind the Cappucino chain
that you’ll find across the island and beyond.
Influenced by classic Parisian cafés, his
empire now stretches as far afield as Jeddah.
THE ART NETWORKER
Palma has more art spaces per
head than anywhere in Europe
and Eva Shakouri Torreadrado,
37, is a major player. As director
of La Caja Blanca gallery, she regularly brings
in international artists. She also organises
annual city-wide collaborations between
galleries The next (Palma Photo) is
in June.
“Majorca has grown
up. Palma is now a
really cool little city
with somuch going on”