Led by chef Jesús Camacho, this living laboratory investigates the potential of historic Canary Islands crops, with the goal of bringing their unique qualities to the restaurant’s MICHELIN-starred cuisine. In collaboration with the Canary Islands Seed Network, Donaire is exploring the gastronomic value of heritage varieties such as Guayonje onion, Borralla potato and Yema de Huevo sweet potato.
Donaire, the MICHELIN-starred restaurant located at GF Victoria hotel, has launched a new sustainable production and R&D trial field at Finca Los Álamos, in the municipality of Tacoronte, Tenerife. This initiative marks another step forward in the restaurant’s commitment to the local territory, creating a dedicated space that combines the cultivation of fresh fruits and vegetables with gastronomic research rooted in the Canary Islands.
This living laboratory has a dual purpose: to supply the restaurant with exceptionally fresh produce offering outstanding organoleptic quality, while also serving as a research and experimentation hub for the culinary team. Through this project, Donaire aims to deepen its understanding of local ingredients and refine its creative cuisine by exploring heritage crops and lesser-known varieties whose culinary potential remains largely untapped. The long-term goal is to transform this agricultural research into new gastronomic creations.
The project is led by chef Jesús Camacho, who explains that the trial field allows the team to know exactly where every ingredient comes from and ultimately create “tailor-made products” for the restaurant. Bringing this vision to life is a close collaboration with Víctor Escobar, agronomist and Head of Sustainability at GF Hoteles. According to Escobar, the objective of the research space is to identify “the closest possible solution to Jesús’ culinary needs in order to develop products that are entirely under our own control.”
One of the project’s key pillars is its strategic partnership with the Canary Islands Seed Network. Through this collaboration, the team identifies, recovers and studies local crop varieties that have gradually disappeared over time, evaluating their culinary potential for contemporary cuisine.
The trial field is already cultivating several culturally significant varieties, including the Guayonje onion, deeply connected to the agricultural tradition of Tacoronte; the Borralla potato, a heritage variety preserved in the rural hamlets of the Anaga Massif; and the Yema de Huevo sweet potato, a naturally sweet variety traditionally grown in the volcanic soils of Lanzarote.
One of the clearest expressions of this philosophy is Donaire’s innovative Guayonje onion cupcake. This dish reinterprets a historic local ingredient through a contemporary lens, combining onion harvested directly from the estate with wakame, Korean mayonnaise and a whipped goat’s yogurt chantilly. It perfectly illustrates how agricultural research can evolve into cutting-edge gastronomy.
Beyond preserving local biodiversity, the research field also serves as a testing ground for seeds originating from other parts of the world. The team experiments with exotic species to evaluate their adaptability to the Canary Islands’ climate and volcanic soils, seeking new flavour profiles capable of enriching the restaurant’s creative identity.
The entire project operates under a genuine circular economy model, fully aligned with the sustainability strategy of GF Hoteles and closely connected to the agricultural heritage of Grupo Fedola, the hotel group’s parent company, whose origins are deeply rooted in farming.
Organic waste generated in the kitchens of GF Victoria hotel is transported to a composting facility in Guía de Isora before returning to Finca Los Álamos as natural compost, completing a sustainable cycle that nourishes the crops.
To cultivate the land responsibly, the trial field applies the agroecological “parades en crestall” method, a traditional growing system that maximises soil efficiency while reducing water consumption without the use of pesticides or chemical products.
Through this initiative, Donaire demonstrates that true innovation can begin by looking to the past, protecting local biodiversity and reconnecting gastronomy with the agricultural heritage of the Canary Islands. Every dish becomes an opportunity to bring diners closer to the land, its history and its future.
