For Carmen Barreche, an 11-year-old girl from Benahavís, diabetes has been life-changing. She was diagnosed two years ago and since then her life has taken a 180-degree turn. “I’ve had to learn a lot of things, although since I got the pump (which gives her body the insulin it needs) everything has been a bit easier.”

As she prepared a fruit salad, she said that every little bit of research into her disease is needed. Carmen is one of the young people who took part in Chefs for Children, a charity and solidarity event that brings together more than 40 Michelin star chefs. The event’s proceeds go to Diabetes Cero, a foundation which researches type one diabetes, which mainly affects children and young people.

Carmen was preparing her dish with Paco Roncero, owner and chef of restaurant Paco Roncero, which has two Michelin stars. He has also experienced the disease close-up, as his son was diagnosed at just two years old. “It is something that changes your life and you have to learn to manage it,” he said.

Although his son is now 28, Roncero remembers how difficult those early years were. “It is very important that parents are educated because at the beginning they don’t know how to express themselves,” he explained.

In addition to raising funds for this charity, Chefs for Children also aims to teach children how to eat healthily. For this reason, the workshops demonstrated how to prepare salads, vegetable tacos and fruit-based desserts to 150 students from local schools, including Carmen.

Manuela Arauco also took part in these workshops. She has cooked alongside Mario Sandoval (Coque, with two Michelin stars) and Luis Valls (El Poblet, two stars). “I want to be like them when I grow up,” she said. It was Manuela’s second time taking part and she thinks it’s a “very fun” event that she likes to make the most of.

A full day

The seventh edition of Chefs for Children was once again held at the Anantara Villa Padierna hotel and featured different events, all for the same cause. In the morning authorities, chefs and sponsors attended the press conference, followed by the healthy cooking workshops. In the afternoon, a cocktail and gala dinner prepared by Michelin star chefs from Malaga was due to take place.

During the press conference, the chefs were enthusiastic about participating in a charity event like this, as even their small contribution can help make the world a better place. According to Pedro Subijana (Akelarre, 3 stars), who joined the line-up of chefs this year, learning about healthy eating habits “should be a compulsory subject in primary education” because “eating well is much more important than learning about rivers and mountains”.

Sandra Campiña, director of Diabetes Cero, also spoke about the importance of nutrition. She said that maintaining a healthy and balanced diet “is vital for children with diabetes to be able to maintain the right levels” and not have problems. She added that “through research, we can cure type one diabetes. If we do not invest enough, these children will be patients their entire lives, and that’s a long time”.