Toño Palacio is one of those indispensable names among chefs, cutters, students, producers, gastronomes, and, in general, lovers of good food. Chef, trainer, master ham cutter, promoter of Aragonese products, and member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Chefs of Aragon, he lives in a constant transition between classrooms, restaurants, international fairs, and gastronomic stages.
And yet, while speaking with Go Aragón, he is cutting a shoulder of DOP Jamón de Teruel: “If not, I won’t have enough time.” His professional life unfolds thus, among well-sharpened knives, gastronomic audits, and travels around the world.
The Origin: Family Restaurant and Self-Made Training
Although many associate him with Jaca, where he has had businesses, residence, and a constant presence for years, Toño is from Zaragoza. His father was from Bespén, a small town in Somontano known for its wine, and that is where part of his connection to Aragonese gastronomy was forged. His maternal family, although not in hospitality, contributed another root: at home, a lot of game meat was cooked because his grandfather was very fond of going to the mountains, which meant he grew up surrounded by hearty stews, garden vegetables, and traditional cooking.
His professional relationship with cooking began at the family restaurant, Restaurante Pirineos, in the Polígono Cogullada of Zaragoza. There, in the 80s, one of the star dishes was Teruel ham cut by hand. His uncle taught him to prepare those first dishes, still far from the refined technique he displays today, but enough to awaken an interest that would later become a specialty.
Paradoxically, he always said he would never dedicate himself to hospitality. He studied Agricultural Engineering in Huesca because he was passionate about nature and animals. But life ultimately led him back to the kitchen. His training was not a conventional academic one: he built it through courses, internships with professionals, continuous practice, and books in several languages (“I’m from the pre-internet era,” he recalls), which he translated word by word to keep learning.
From Ham Cutting to the International Scene
His professional relationship with ham began early but became deep when he started teaching cutting courses for the hospitality sector, SEPE, INAEM, and other entities. At the same time, he continued to train, improving his technique and knowledge, until he became one of the most recognized specialists in Aragon.
Today he cuts ham for designations of origin, for companies, for professional fairs, and for private events. He could spend one week performing demonstrations in Zaragoza and the next in the United States, Japan, or some European country. His command of languages has been key: he speaks English at the same level as Spanish, is conversational in French, and has knowledge of other languages. This ability, combined with his skill in explaining the product, has made him a perfect ambassador.
A Career Woven Between Cooking, Service, and Consultancy
Although his name is closely associated with ham cutting, Toño has a wide background in both kitchen and dining room. His most important establishments were La Pihuela and Cantharellus in Jaca. There he developed his style and solidified a network of contacts that would later grow through training.
He has worked in restaurant services with Michelin stars, such as Cancook, where he served as head of the dining room for a private service, and at El Cachirulo. He has also collaborated with wineries, gastronomic events, and catering companies in Zaragoza and beyond Aragon.
Gastronomic consultancy is another central facet of his work. He helps restaurants and also assists food brands that want to enter or strengthen their presence in the professional channel.
Training: Vocation, Method, and Constant Renewal
The TOPI Hospitality School marked a significant turning point in his life. There he learned to work with very different profiles, to listen, to detect training needs, and, above all, to continually update himself. “You can’t tell the same story from five years ago. Cooking changes, students change, everything changes,” he asserts.
Aragón Alimentos: Identity, Flag, and Commitment
If there is a thread that runs through his entire journey, it is his defense of Aragonese products. Toño closely collaborates with Aragón Alimentos, with the DOP Jamón de Teruel, with Ternasco de Aragón, with Calanda Peaches, with wine Designations of Origin, and especially with Arroz Brazal, of which he is an ambassador.
What he does is not just cut ham or cook lamb: it is to construct a narrative of the territory. At fairs and events, both inside and outside Spain, he insists that Aragon has a privileged larder and a solid gastronomic culture. “In Aragon, we consume a lot of Aragon, and that cannot be lost,” he repeats. That is why many professionals from outside identify him as “the Aragonese chef who always defends his own.”
Present and Future: From Zaragoza to the World
When we talk, Toño is preparing a shoulder for a very well-known Aragonese client in the meat sector. After that, that same weekend, he will travel to Madrid to participate in the Sala Galileo Galilei alongside Sheila González, an actress and wine influencer, in a show that combines comedy, wine, and Teruel ham.
His medium-term agenda partly depends on the evolution of the swine fever outbreak, which has forced some adjustments to trips to Asia. If the situation improves, he will be in Europe in January and between February and March in various Asian countries, promoting ham and Spanish products. In spring, the major food fairs will arrive, and in autumn, SIAL Paris. Between trips, he will continue training, advising, and collaborating with Aragonese producers.
The Chef That Aragon Recognizes as Its Own
Toño Palacio moves between restaurants, classrooms, fairs, wineries, and stages, but always with a guiding thread: to value Aragonese foods and the gastronomic culture of his land. Chef, trainer, cutter, consultant, and communicator, he has built a career that combines technique, craft, and territory. And he has done so with a deep conviction: gastronomy is also a way of telling who we are.
“Recently, someone in Alicante told me they wanted to be Aragonese after hearing me speak. I told them they already were, that when someone defends a product, they make it their own.” That, perhaps, is the best definition of Toño Palacio: a professional who carries Aragon wherever he goes, and a chef who turns every cut, every dish, and every word into a form of belonging.
