From the mid 1970s onwards, he began to receive awards and recognition that made the Arzak Restaurant a benchmark in national and international gastronomy. In 1976 Juan Mari Arzak, together with a group of chefs, revolutionised cuisine and created a concept and a movement: New Basque Cuisine. In 1977 he was awarded the second Michelin star and in 1989 he was awarded the third star in the Michelin Guide. He was the second to receive the triple recognition in Spain and has held it ever since.
In the 1990s, Elena Arzak, Juan Mari Arzak's daughter, joined the family restaurant. Elena studied Hotel Management in Switzerland and then went on to work in the great kitchens of Europe, including Maison Troisgros, Pierre Gagnaire, Carré des Feuillants and Le Vivarois in France, Louis XV in Monte Carlo, Le Gavroche in London, Antica Osteria del Ponte in Italy and El Bulli in Spain.
In May 2001 he received the Chef de l'Avenir award from the International Academy of Gastronomy. In 2010, the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy awarded him the National Gastronomy Prize. And in 2012 she was crowned Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef.
Today, Juan Mari Arzak shares with his daughter Elena his cooking, knowledge, passion and desire to continue making history at Arzak. History of the Arzak family.