Borja Marrero’s Radical Local
Cactus Cuisine on Gran Canaria
You could almost think that Borja Marrero is obsessed with the unused indigenous products of Gran Canaria. In his gastronomy project MuXgo, the chef and farmer pays tribute to his home region of Tejeda—with the first cactus menu in Europe, among other things.
(Roots) For Borja Marrero, obsessions are a good thing—if you act on them in a controlled manner. The Canarian chef’s “controlled obsessions” include the prickly pear cactus that grows wild on Gran Canaria and the Canary Island pine, which is unique to the Spanish archipelago. Its bark is fire-resistant and offers surprising notes of tobacco and chocolate. Together with the products and by-products—keyword whey—from Marrero’s own farm, they form the DNA of a radical, terroir-driven cuisine.
Ferrán Adria, Juan Mari Arzak, and Ramón Freixa—Marrero has learned from some of the best chefs in Spain. However, in order to become aware of the culinary riches of his home island, he first had to move far away from it. In Mexico, where he opened a restaurant and worked for hotel groups, he came across the nopal—a species of prickly pear cactus related to the tunera, which grows natively on Gran Canaria.
While the entire plant is used in Mexican cuisine, only the fruit has been used in the Canary Islands to date. It was an eye-opening experience that showed Marrero the untapped potential of Canarian cuisine and laid the foundation for his zero-kilometer philosophy. Today, the tunera not only adorns the chef’s forearm but also a wall in his restaurant MuXgo, where Marrero celebrates the cactus as part of a “Solo Tunera” menu. A total of 75 refinement methods, developed in collaboration with his team, serve as the basis for dishes such as grilled cactus escabeche, tunera confit with cactus fat and consommé, or a lemony tunera pie.
The organically farmed family
business, located in the middle
of a volcanic crater and within
a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, features fruit and
vegetable gardens, free-range
cattle, goats and sheep, as well
as cheese and ice cream
production.
MuXgo, located in the Hotel Plaza Sostenible Santa Catalina in the historic center of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is only open from October to April. The busy chef admits he can’t stay in the capital for more than a few days at a time. The rest of the time, he has his hands full with his farm in Tejeda. The organic family farm, located in the middle of a volcanic crater and within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features fruit and vegetable gardens as well as free-range cattle, goats and sheep, and the production of cheese and ice cream. After returning from Mexico, Marrero realized his vision of hyperlocal gastronomy based on the circular economy with the restaurant Texeda, situated in the middle of the farm.
With the opening of MuXgo in 2022, he elevated the concept to the level of fine dining, rooted in the flavors of his native region. The Michelin Guide promptly rewarded his efforts with the first Green Star in the Canary Islands. The first Michelin Star followed in 2024.
When Borja Marrero talks about MuXgo, he never uses the word restaurant. For him, it is a constantly evolving gastronomic project—one that began on his farm in Tejeda and, like Marrero himself, is destined to return there. In one to two years’ time, guests will be able to enjoy Marrero’s creations right where the obsessions that inspired them first took root.