Bixente Marichular is a French pastry chef, cultural entrepreneur, and Slow Food activist, born in Sare, in the Labourd province of the French Basque Country. An emblematic figure of Basque gastronomy, he is recognized as one of the main defenders of the authenticity of the artisanal Basque cake and president of the Slow Food Basque Country convivium Bizi Ona.
Biography
Education and Career
Born into a family rooted in Basque traditions, Bixente Marichular trained as a pastry chef at a very young age. His career led him to perfect his art in prestigious establishments, notably in the palaces of Biarritz, Cannes, Paris, Singapore, Osaka, and New York, where he developed high-level technical expertise and a cosmopolitan vision of his profession.
Despite these international experiences, he maintains a deep attachment to his Basque roots and has decided to devote his know-how to preserving and promoting the gastronomic heritage of his native region.
Commitment to Authenticity
In 1994, he co-founded the Eguzkia Association, an organization dedicated to defending the authenticity of artisanal Basque cakes against the excesses of industrialization. This association established a rigorous quality charter and a labeling system promoting manufacturing that respects centuries-old traditions.
Achievements
The Basque Cake Museum
In 2003, Bixente Marichular founded the Basque Cake Museum (Euskal Bixkotxaren Erakustokia) in Sare, a unique institution that combines museography, cooking demonstrations, educational workshops, and the promotion of Basque gastronomic heritage. In his own words, “Basque cake is part of Basque heritage: every family has its own recipe, and every family thinks theirs is the best.”
The museum offers several practical workshop options supervised by a pastry chef, allowing visitors to learn traditional techniques and take home their own creation.
Institutional commitments
Bixente Marichular holds several leading positions in the gastronomic field:
Slow Food Basque Country convivium

. Member of the Cofradia Vasca de Gastonomia de Donostia (San Sebastian)
• Vice-president of the Taste Institute of New Aquitaine
• Member of the Culinary Academy of Euskadi
Through the Slow Food Bizi Ona , he promotes food products from Basque producers, local agriculture and short supply chains, defending “authenticity and good food” by creating encounters between consumers and around fifty selected producers.
Philosophy and heritage
Bixente Marichular embodies an approach that combines tradition and modernity, technical excellence and territorial commitment. His approach is in line with the philosophy of the Slow Food movement, favoring quality, authenticity and sustainability in the face of industrial standardization.
His action contributes to the transmission of ancestral know-how while raising public awareness of the importance of preserving regional gastronomic traditions. The Basque Cake Museum, which has become a tourist and cultural reference, attracts many visitors every year who want to discover this living heritage.
Recognition
Bixente Marichula is today considered a key figure in contemporary Basque gastronomy. A transmitter of memory, a committed craftsman, and an educator, he represents a generation of cultural entrepreneurs working to preserve and promote local heritage in a context of globalization.
His career illustrates the ability of traditional know-how to shine internationally while preserving its cultural and territorial specificities.