Inspired by the historic connection between Cantabria and Cádiz, Los Chicucos brings two Spanish culinary traditions together at The Westin Manila.
If there’s one thing Spanish cuisine does particularly well, it’s turning a meal into a story. At Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez, that story now travels between the northern and southern coasts of Spain with Los Chicucos, a new seasonal menu series inspired by the historic connection between Cantabria and Cádiz. The first chapter, the Verano (summer) Menú, brings that history to the table through a five-course dining experience preceded by three tapas.
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What Does Los Chicucos Mean At Cantabria By Chele Gonzalez?
The name Los Chicucos comes from the young apprentices who left Cantabria for Cádiz during the 19th and 20th centuries, when the southern port city was a major commercial and trading hub. They brought products from Cantabria with them, along with preservation techniques. In their own way, these chicucos connected two regions through food, trade, and the techniques that helped make Cantabrian products known beyond their home shores.
In Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez, that history becomes a conversation between two chefs and two regions. Creative Culinary Director Chef Chele Gonzalez, who hails from Cantabria, and Chef de Cuisine Álvaro Romero-abreu Raya, who comes from Cádiz, bring their respective culinary traditions together in a menu featuring the flavors, techniques, and memories of northern and southern Spain. As Gonzalez puts it, the five-course experience is a way of sharing their heritage with the community—much like the story of the Los Chicucos themselves.
The Verano menu takes its cues from Spanish summers: afternoons by the beach, seasonal produce, and refreshing dishes made for warm weather.
The Los Chicucos series is set to evolve with the seasons, with each menu offering the chefs’ contemporary interpretations of heritage recipes from northern and southern Spain. For the Verano edition, that means a table filled with the flavors of the coast, memories of summer, and plenty of Spanish culinary history along the way.
Explore the five-course Verano menu below.
Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez’s Los Chicucos Verano Menu is priced at ₱2,900 per person and is available until October 31, 2026. Catabria by Chele Gonzalez is located at The Westin Manila, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong. Reservations are required and available via their booking link.
Photos courtesy of Westin Manila
Frequently Asked Questions
Los Chicucos is a new seasonal menu series at Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez that brings together the culinary traditions of northern and southern Spain. The series begins with the Verano (summer) Menú, a five-course dining experience preceded by three tapas.
Los Chicucos refers to young apprentices from Cantabria who migrated to Cádiz during the 19th and 20th centuries. They brought products and food preservation techniques from Cantabria to the south, helping connect the two regions through food and trade.
The five-course menu includes Atún, Gazpacho, Piriñaca y Aliño; Pimientos de Piquillo, Cangrejo, Suero de Hinojo y Majao; Bacalao al Pilpil, Cuajada de Apio y Meloso de Choco y Vieiras; Solomillo de Vaca, Salsa Café de Paris, Pavé y Berenjena Asada; and Melon, Cítricos y Macedonia. The meal is preceded by three tapas.
The Los Chicucos Verano Menú costs P2,900+ per person.
The Los Chicucos Verano Menú is available for lunch and dinner until October 31, 2026, with advance reservations required.
