“Some of my fondest childhood memories are of Sundays in Spain. It was always reserved for a happy and hearty family time. We all gathered outdoors around the paella being cooked over an open fire. The adults clinked their glasses of wine, the kids ran around, stories were shared, and all this, while the rice slowly cooked. Paella was never just a meal; it was a dish that brought us together,” said chef Manuel Olveira, when I asked him about what led him into the culinary world.
He is the owner of two of Mumbai‘s most-celebrated Spanish and modern European restaurants, serving authentic fare: La Loca Maria and La Panthera. These restaurants bring flavours that Chef Olveira grew up eating and loving to Mumbai’s accepting and risk-taking audience. He works not just with food, but with memory. And the fact that his food, which is borrowed from his family’s recipes, traditions, and emotions, speaks to the heart and tummy in equal parts, makes it irresistible for the diners. For him, “it’s not about changing shapes or adding trends, it’s about evolving classics so they fit in the way eat today, while keeping the true essence of the cuisine intact.”
Every part of the chef’s cooking and both the restaurant’s menus are influenced by the nooks and crannies of his childhood. “The stocks, the sauces, the way vegetables are treated and seasoned, and the foundations of La Loca Maria and La Panthera’s cuisine remain deeply rooted in the flavours of my childhood. Even when we innovate, the soul remains Spanish,” the chef added. Even the name of his first Spanish restaurant, La Loca Maria, borrows from his mother’s name, Maria, who inspired the restaurant’s creation.
Additionally, ‘La loca’ translates to ‘the crazy’ in Spanish, a name given to the chef’s mother because she was considered eccentric enoughfor her time and bold for being the first woman in her town to open a restaurant. La Loca Maria is an ode to chef Olveira’s mother’s confidence and passion towards her goal.
In a chat with Outlook Traveller Eats, he spoke about the joy and struggles of bringing a slice of Spain to Mumbai, one plate, one paella, and one Spanish tradition at a time.
From The Cobblestones Of Spain To The Streets Of Mumbai
Born and raised in a quaint town called Toledo, in Spain—all of which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site—Chef Manuel Olveira’s earliest childhood memories stem from his mother’s food. “My mother and my aunt cooked the most delicious food I have ever tasted,” he says. And that was where his fascination with food began. Growing up, whatever he ate and loved became his own personal benchmark for what the meaning of delicious really is. Cooking is no textbook lesson, and the best instance of that is the way Chef Olveira realised the key to good food. From his mother, he says he learnt two things: “flavour comes from patience and care… and hospitality is simply cooking with love for the people around your table.”
Spanish cuisine in itself is deeply seasonal. There are four distinct seasons and incredibly fertile soil, so ingredients shape the cooking, instead of the other way around. But more than that, the chef shares that Spanish food shapes Spanish people. “Our way of living—gathering, sharing, celebrating—is defined by how we eat. Food is community in Spain,” he adds.
However, coming to India and setting up shop in Mumbai is no easy feat. The city is sprawling with newer restaurants, cuisines, innovations and interpretations every day, and striking a chord with the audience is always a task, especially with newer cuisines. The chef’s key to striking this balance and resonating with the Indian palates was using memory as his stepping stone. The biggest adjustment he made here was understanding how people in India experience a meal. That is, what they expect, what they enjoy, and what hospitality means here. “Every country has its own dining culture. Once you understand that, you can cook in a way that connects with people’s hearts,” he says. And so, since 2019, his hands have been creating magic in the city.
Today, after all these years, masalas have become commonplace in his kitchen. “I use spices now in ways I would have never imagined back in Spain. And I’ve learned that it’s not just what spice you add, but when and how you add it. That kind of precision with spice is something India has taught me,” he said.
Food At La Loca Maria And La Panthera
On Authenticity, Identity & The Future of Spanish Cuisine
For a chef whose food is built on memory, the idea of authenticity takes on a deeply personal meaning. When asked what it means to him as a Spanish chef cooking thousands of miles from home, he retorts with a simple truth: “Being true to myself. I don’t have to copy a recipe exactly to be authentic. If I cook something honestly and with love, that’s authenticity for me.” Now I know why his restaurants feel less like a Spanish eatery and more like extensions of his own kitchen in Toledo. Both his restaurants are places where flavours evolve, techniques adapt, while the soul of the food remains unchanged.
Spanish cuisine, too, is currently also having a moment on the global food stage. From Barcelona’s tapas bars inspiring menus across continents to Basque-style cheesecakes becoming universal favourites, the world is slowly waking up to the diversity of Spain’s culinary heritage. For Chef Olveira, its rise brings joy, not pressure. “It’s great to hear more people say their favourite restaurant is a Spanish one. It means Spanish food is connecting with more diners around the world, and I am proud to be a part of it.”
It’s fitting, then, that Mumbai—chaotic, colourful, endlessly hungry—has become the canvas for his culinary storytelling. In a city that thrives on emotion, nostalgia, and warmth, Chef Olveira’s food feels right at home. Each plate brings back a memory from Toledo, translating lovingly for a new audience, proving that food—when cooked from the heart—actually has no borders. And maybe that’s the real magic of La Loca Maria and La Panthera: that a boy who grew up around paella pans and open fires in Spain can create flavours that speak just as deeply to a diner sitting at a table in Bandra, Mumbai.
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