Alumni - A star in the world of gastronomy, Ignacio Montes

After a few years working in business at IBM, Coco continued his studies in cuisine and pastry at the Cordon Bleu School in Paris, where he worked at a 3 Michelin star restaurant in the city. He later moved back to Madrid and opened his own successful restaurant @restaurante_pabu, which has just received its first Michelin star 2025.

 

 

He told us what he remembers of his years at ICS, “ICS was a great experience as it gave me the opportunity to question each and every step of my development as a young business manager and chef. I learned to think in very practical and analytical ways and developed my teamwork abilities. It allowed me to have friends from all over the world and an open mindset to different cultures, extremely important for the times we live in”.​

​What advice would you give our current ICS students?

“Work on expanding the skill set that you have acquired at ICS. Concentrate on creating meaningful international relationships throughout the world and put effort into maintaining these connections. Use your common sense to progress towards your goals and don’t be afraid to fail.”

 

@restaurante_pabu is the restaurant of my dreams and my ultimate aim is to obtain three Michelin Stars and continue to create amazing cuisine in one of the best restaurants in Spain.

 

Mr. Manouchehr Farhangi, ICS founder, would have been very proud of Coco and of course Mr. Barry Hughes will be too when he sees this.