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José Pizarro, often referred to in the UK as ‘The Godfather’ of Spanish cuisine, is originally from a beautiful, rural village near Cáceres, Extremadura. Having spent the last 25 years in London, José trained in a number of Spain's top restaurants, before advancing to head chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant El Mesón de Doña Filo. José began his career at Gaudi, moving to Eyre Brothers in Shoreditch, and then onto his role as Executive Chef at Brindisa.

In 2011, he launched his first restaurant, José, on Bermondsey Street,offering simple and traditional tapas. His restaurants now include José Pizarro at the Royal Academy, José Pizarro Broadgate, Pizarro, and José Pizarro The Swan Inn. Last year José opened his first restaurant outside the UK - José by Pizarro at the Conrad Hilton in Abu Dhabi. José has also just opened his latest venture Lolo on Bermondsey street, an all-day restaurant that captures the sense of togetherness and joy that he experiences from preparing his favourite dishes at home.

José champions fresh, seasonal produce and his philosophy revolves around simplicity and the idea that great food is for all. His charm along with his mantra for simplicity and passion for Spanish food has made him a beloved figure on many foodie favourite TV shows. He’s a regular guest chefs on BBC 1's Saturday Kitchen, ITV's This Morning, Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, and James Martin's Saturday Morning José is also a celebrated author, with critically acclaimed books such as "Seasonal Spanish Food" (2009), "Spanish Flavours" (2012), "Basque" (2016), "Catalonia" (2017), "Andalusia" (2019, reprinted 2023), and "The Spanish Home Kitchen" (2022).

José has also received numerous prestigious awards, most recently the Gran Maestre De La Orden De Isabel La Católica by Felipe VI, King of Spain, Elle Gourmet Award 2024, and the Medal of Extremadura 2024, as well as earlier recognitions like Chef of the Year 2022 by Food and Travel Magazine Awards and Chef of the Year 2019 by FT Magazine.