Claudia Merchán Valdivieso proves that passion, talent, and hard work can take people far. The Ecuadorian has brought great pride to her country, having earned the most coveted recognition a chef can achieve: a Michelin star.
Claudia is originally from Cuenca, a city in the Andean mountains of southern Ecuador. She graduated with a degree in Gastronomy from the Faculty of Hospitality Sciences at the University of Cuenca, but even before setting foot on campus, she had already been shaped by the lessons of her most beloved teacher—her mother, Miriam Valdivieso—who inspired in her a love for preparing desserts.
"There is no such thing as luck. It's work, sacrifice, a constant desire for more, and a passion for what you do. It's the drive to be better every day, it's discipline, and above all, it's teamwork."
The chef had to leave her homeland and cross the Atlantic Ocean to continue her training. She specialized in pastry and sweet cuisine at the renowned Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián, Spain. Claudia didn't know at the time that the so-called "Motherland" would not only become her second home, but would also bring her the love of her life, her partner and husband, Áxel Smyth. Spain turned out to be the right place for her to make her most ambitious dreams come true.
Claudia and Áxel met at culinary school while pursuing their respective specializations, and their shared passion for cooking ultimately united them beyond the professional realm. "I was studying a master's in pastry, and he was doing one in cuisine. We crossed paths in a few classes, and that's how it all started," the pastry chef told the Ecuadorian magazine Hogar in 2024.
"There's no point in being really good at what we do if we don't have someone rowing alongside us," she said.
"The desire to discover new things pushes us to be more demanding in the culinary world."
Throughout her career, Claudia honed her skills at Can Jubany, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Barcelona. Then, in July 2020, she joined the team at Auga e Sal as head pastry chef. The restaurant in Santiago de Compostela has Áxel leading in the kitchen and earned Claudia her first Michelin star in 2021. Sadly, the establishment was forced to close its doors in 2022.
Far from being discouraged by the closure, Claudia saw the experience as a new opportunity. In August 2023, she and her husband opened Simpar in Santiago de Compostela. In just one year, their restaurant became one of the 31 new spots recognized by the Michelin Guide in Spain for 2025.
"On August 3, 2023, we opened the doors of Simpar—full of dreams and goals to achieve, with an overflowing passion driving us to make it happen. Today, one year and nearly four months later, along with our team and customers, we've earned one of the most special recognitions in gastronomy. WE ARE MICHELIN STARRED! Thank you for believing in us and being part of this dream," the couple shared on social media.