Private chef in Calonge

Dinner in Calonge

Calonge keeps its old self intact: a medieval castle above narrow lanes, the hush of an inland village that the crowds pass by, and the easy beach of Sant Antoni de Calonge a short way down. The villas here sit among vines and pines, with terraces that catch the last of the sun. It is the kind of quiet that makes an evening at home feel like the whole point of the trip.

An evening with Lara settles into that calm. She arrives, unpacks the market, and the kitchen fills with the smell of garlic and good olive oil while you pour the first glass. Each course comes to the table at your pace, paired with a local Empordà wine she has chosen, and the night drifts on under the stars while she quietly tidies the kitchen back to spotless.

Flavours of the Empordà

Calonge sits in true Empordà wine country, and the DO Empordà wineries are part of its character: garnacha and carinyena from old vines, fresh whites, and the sweet garnatxa de l'Empordà to close a meal. Around them is a generous larder of Empordà olive oil, market vegetables and the seafood landed just down the coast, the gamba de Palamós and white fish from the Palamós llotja.

Lara builds her menus around all of it. A suquet de peix or a fideuà made with the day's catch, an esqueixada of salt cod, seasonal vegetables dressed in Empordà oil, and a wine pairing drawn from the nearby cellars. She shops the markets of Palamós, Palafrugell and La Bisbal d'Empordà, so what reaches your table is whatever was best that morning, never a fixed card.

Beaches and coves

Down at the water, Sant Antoni de Calonge offers a long, easy beach and a gentle seafront, with smaller coves like Cala Cristus and Torre Valentina tucked between the rocks toward Palamós. Spend a slow day on the sand, a swim before the heat fades, and come back to the villa for a dinner Lara has ready, the wine already open and the table set under the pines.