The Morán Family: Two generations in the Kitchen

On the Roadside

Casa Gerardo is located at the side of the road that runs between Avilés and Gijón. It has become a secondary road since the highway was built, but when Demetrio Fernández Luanco opened his roadside inn there in 1882, it was a busy, crowded road.

This large stone house has been a restaurant, cider press, dance hall, cinema, and even a convenience store over its 136 years, and is now a renowned, award-winning restaurant with the word "family" etched into its DNA.

The Quiet Revolution

Benigna, one of Demetrio's daughters, married Gerardo Quirós and it was after him that the restaurant was named years later.

Their daughter, Ángela Quirós (Pedro's mother), got her culinary education from watching the women in the family cook, and in around 1960, she put the wheels in motion that would lay the foundations for the restaurant's future.

"My grandmother is the best Asturian chef in history."

Ángela, self-taught and with no formal knowledge of the hospitality industry, put a philosophy into practice that would be carried forward by future generations: a diner shouldn't be able to tell which techniques lie behind each dish.

It began with the "fabada": the most popular stew in Asturian cuisine. It is traditionally a very rich dish, but Ángela made a lighter version without compromising any of its delicious flavor. She turned this simple little eatery into a must-visit restaurant.

This father-and-son duo have achieved that rare balance between tradition and innovation.

In their "2-headed" kitchen, they have managed not only to respect each other's space, but to support one another to keep growing and improving.

The agreement is simple: their culinary visions never reach the diner without the knowledge and observations of the other. And that is how "contemporary Asturian cuisine," as they call it, was born.

Pedro Morán: The Seeds of Change

Pedro Morán was literally born in Casa Gerardo, in the place now occupied by table 11.

Although he began studying business in Oviedo, he left during his second year to concentrate on cooking.

"I was curious from a young age and slowly started getting involved with the restaurant. My official baptism was in 1970, and I was always learning from my mother."

With his mother in charge of the kitchen, Pedro began updating the traditional recipes and helping to turn the place into a restaurant.

The influence of the New Basque Cuisine movement, led by the chefs Juan Mari Arzak and Pedro Subijana, played a key role in pushing Pedro towards the avant-garde.

However, his "modernization" was less radical than that of his Basque counterparts. A respect for history and working alongside his mother meant that they set the rate of change at their own pace.

One of the toughest challenges that Pedro has had to contend with was the fire that devastated Casa Gerardo in 1987.

At that point, he was offered the chance to open a restaurant in Madrid but turned it down. He rebuilt the family restaurant, brick by brick, building a future on memories of the past.

Marcos: The Prodigal Son

Marcos seemed destined to become a journalist and studied the subject for 2 years, but his genes got the better of him, and he eventually enrolled in the School of Hospitality in Gijón.

The young chef was adamant that he wanted to learn about other restaurants, and spent time in avant-garde establishments such as El Bulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Arzak, and El Poblet.

Armed with his new experiences, he returned home in 1990, ready to rejuvenate Casa Gerardo's kitchen.

"Cooking is my life. I was born in a restaurant. And since I decided that was what I wanted to do to, I have been passionate about it."

"We cook for our customers, not for us."

In keeping with the family tradition, Marcos' revolution has been thoughtful and carefully judged.

Conscious of the restaurant's identity, he has attempted to combine 2 apparently distinct kinds of cuisine harmoniously, on the same table. Customers can decide between dishes from the main menu or the tasting menu—a formula that works well.

The first dish that Marcos considers to be his own is "Clams 'a la marinera' done differently."

In his version of this typical Asturian dish, he serves grilled clams accompanied by the traditional sauce.

Marcos has been heading up the kitchen with his father since 2007, securing its transition from generation to generation.

His training has provided him with a solid basis from which to develop, and his father has given him the space to continue to grow. "He will always be my adviser, and my spiritual and professional guide, because he has helped me a lot and continues to do so."

The restaurant has been transformed little by little, without losing its essence. The dining room replicates the family's hospitality, while the kitchen (which is over 250 m²) is open to the public.

"We want people to be happy. We don't want to dazzle people by being excessively versatile. What matters to us is that our clientele enjoy themselves. That is the essence of what we do," says Marcos.

The changes have extended as far as the tasting menus, which have been shortened and refined, growing in both quality and quantity.

"We try to be more versatile and flexible every day—to be freer. And we offer that same freedom to our diners. We let them choose a menu, or 2 or 3 individual dishes. Our clients are precious: we have to take care of them."

Fabada

Pedro Morán introduced a second significant change to the family recipe for "fabada," using fresh beans as a matter of course instead of the traditional dried ones.

On the tasting menu, "fabada" is served as one of the final dishes, just before dessert, which is another innovation of theirs.

Rice Pudding with Scalded Milk from Prendes

Casa Gerardo's tradition on a plate, based on a recipe by María, Pedro's great-grandmother. The milk is almost more important than the rice in this dish: it is cooked slowly for a long time until it is almost a cream.

Razor Clam in Almond Sauce

Having recently arrived from elBulli in 2007, Marcos Morán set about creating an exclusive homage to the shellfish of the Cantabrian coast—clams, scallops, cockles, and razor clams, all prepared with vegetable oils.

His razor clams were lightly vacuum-cooked with almond oil and served on a cream sauce.

Cantabrian baby eels

Cantabrian baby eels have always featured in Casa Gerardo's kitchen. In times gone by, when baby eels weren't so scarce, the family would eat omelets made with any that were leftover.

Inspired by this memory, Marcos uses them in his dish "Baby eels, eggs, and truffle."

Crossing Borders

Since 2014, Marcos Morán has been the gastronomic director of Hispania in London: a project created by a group of Asturian entrepreneurs.

The restaurant offers tapas in the style of Casa Gerardo, including "fabada," "fritos de pixín" (monkfish fritters), and "crujientes de quesos" (crunchy cheese bites), made with a mixture of local raw ingredients and produce brought over regularly from Asturias. The same dishes can also be enjoyed in Brussels.