ARMY OF CHEFS

47 Michelin stars to descend on foodie paradise

IT is set to be a busy year for tiny Benahavis with two key events this Spring already set to make national headlines.

The first this month is the prestigious Chefs for Children event, between the Benahavis cookery school and the Anantara Villa Padierna Spa hotel, which will feature the biggest stars of the Spanish gourmet scene.

Aside from a staggering nine three-Michelin starred masters - including Elena Arzak, Eneko Atxa and Angel León - there will be 38 other Michelin-starred chefs, serving up food at a gala event raising money for terminally ill children.

Expanding boundaries

Sponsored by Porsche, Joselito ham and the Diputacion de Malaga, among others, the gala event on April 24 costs €350 a head, but will be a meal to beat all.

The event is in aid of the Pequeno Deseo Foundation, founded in 2000, and the chefs will be holding a series of workshops with 150 local pupils from the Atalaya and Daidin schools.

As well as the kids getting to cook with Spain’s top chefs, they will be able to learn about healthy eating and flavour combinations to take home with them.

Students from the Benahavis cookery school and teachers from Le Cordon Bleu school in Madrid will also help out. In May, the village will also be hosting the popular, national trail bike competition for the first time.

The Campeonato de Espana de Trial will pass through the nearby hills on May 28.

Restaurante Coto in Benahavis: Where the flavours, the architecture and the Andalucian landscape all flow into one incredible experience

ARESERVE - a place set aside where rare and precious things are protected and safeguarded. Restaurante Coto, nestled in the winding and sinuous Carretera de Ronda between La Zagaleta and El Madroñal, certainly lives up to its Spanish name.

A dazzling location overlooking the Andalucian landscape as it flows down into the Mediterranean Sea, the new- ly refurbished Restaurante Coto is all about flow.

The flavours of the traditional European menu splashed with a modern twist flow into the eclectic and luxurious decor which in turn flows into the landscape. This concept is embodied in the impressive seven-metre-by-three-metre three-dimensional artwork adorning a side wall created by Osvaldo Lobalzo. And the floor-toceiling glass sliding doors bring diners closer to nature and the mountainous outdoors.

And, in anticipation of long, lingering summer evenings and sunsets, the stunning views can be enjoyed with a pre-dinner cocktail on the gorgeous roof terrace. Head chef and owner Clive Rogers, who hails from South Africa and trained in high-end hotels and restaurants in Oxfordshire, prides himself on a menu that extends beyond the boundaries of typical Andalucian cuisine. reservations: +34 951 74 47 77 / +34 627 12 14 43 clive@cotorestaurante.com

Each dish is complemented with its own perfect garnish to marry the fresh vegetables to the succulent meat. And the high-quality produce allows the ingredients to just speak for themselves.

For those who wish to splash out, the wine list includes an incredibly rare, one-in-the-world bottle of 1994 Petrus Pomerol Grand Vi.

But Restaurante Coto is not just for highrollers; a meal for two and a bottle of wine can also come in at under €80. Still just a year young, Clive and the team have worked hard to make it one of the leading restaurants in Andalucia. The flow awaits you.