Aitor Zabala becomes first Catalan chef outside of Spain to win three Michelin stars

Aitor Zabala made history on Thursday by becoming the first Catalan chef outside of Spain  winning three Michelin stars for his Somni restaurant in Los Angeles. 

Somni's three-star designation was mistakenly revealed in a video posted on the Michelin Guide’s YouTube channel prior to the 2025 awards ceremony on June 25. 

The chef initially opened Somni, which means 'dream' in Catalan, in 2018 at Beverly Hills with a single 10-seat counter. The restaurant earned two stars the following year but closed in 2020 due to the pandemic.

"We turned misfortune into an opportunity for transformation," it read on the restaurant's website.

Zabala relaunched an expanded version of Somni in West Hollywood in November 2024, featuring a 14-seat chef’s counter, courtyard, and private dining space.

Somni became Los Angeles’s first three-Michelin-starred restaurant since the guide arrived to the city in 2008.

According to the restaurant's website, Somni tells the story of a Spaniard in America blending his Basque and Catalan roots with his new surroundings.