Our culinary heritage

Discover the story of Bixente Marichular, a pastry chef committed to preserving Basque gastronomy.

Bixente Marichular is a French pastry chef, cultural entrepreneur, and Slow Food activist, born in St. Jean de Luz, in the Labourd province of the French Basque Country. An iconic figure in Basque gastronomy, he is recognized as one of the leading advocates of the authenticity of artisanal Basque cakes and president of the Slow Food Pays Basque Bizi Ona convivium.

Biography

Training and professional background

The son and grandson of a baker, from a family steeped in Basque traditions, Bixente Marichular learned pastry making at a very early age. Heir to this family know-how, he developed a passion for bread and artisanal sweets from childhood, which he then perfected through demanding training and professional experience.
His career led him to work in prestigious establishments, notably in the palaces of Biarritz, Cannes, Paris, Singapore, Osaka, and New York, where he acquired 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

Eguzkia Association , a campaigning organization 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, culinary demonstrations, educational workshops and the promotion of Basque gastronomic heritage. In his own words: "The Basque cake is part of the Basque heritage: each family has its own recipe, and each family thinks that theirs is the best."
The museum offers several practical workshop options supervised by a pastry chef, allowing visitors to learn traditional techniques and leave with their own creation.

Institutional commitments

Bixente Marichular holds several leading positions in the gastronomic field:

• President of the Slow Food Basque Country convivium Bizi Ona

• Member of the Cofradia Vasca de Gastronomía 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 association, 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 over industrial standardization.
His work 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 landmark, attracts many visitors each year eager to discover this living heritage.

Acknowledgement

Bixente Marichular 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, passed down from generation to generation, to shine internationally while preserving its cultural and territorial specificities.

My Aitatxi (grandfather) in the middle in front of the bakery in Hendaye

Pastry Heritage

Discover the Basque craftsmanship and tradition of pastry making.

My AITATXI (grandfather) in the middle