Lurka creates a gastronomic experience in every chocolate bar, crafted with the same love and care as a dessert at an haute cuisine restaurant. At Lurka, we select each cocoa bean by hand, combining them with the finest ingredients to tell a special story: that of people who have traveled between the Basque Country and Mexico.

My grandfather was born in Bilbao and emigrated to Mexico together with his parents. My great-grandmother soon became famous for her traditional Basque cuisine, relished by the professional pelota players of the time. Later on, my father divided his youth between the Basque Country and Mexico, subsequently sharing his affection for both places with me. I was born in Mexico and have spent the past decade in San Sebastián working as a pastry chef in restaurants and hotels in the city.

Chocolate, which has traveled all over the world, is the best vehicle to tell this story. It is a story that is neither Basque nor Mexican, but both, in which the flavors of the Chiapas rainforest fuse with the products of the half-timbered stone farmhouses of the Basque Country. Lurka takes you from mezcal to a sloe liqueur called patxaran in an instant and pairs pasilla chili with Añana salt. That intriguing, magical combination that knows no rules, where Mexican and Basque elements come together is, ultimately, what I am and what, in some ways, we all are.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Pablo Ibarreche
Chef pastelero  / chocolatero