Steve Anderson

Steve Anderson was born in London to a Burmese mother and Welsh father. His interest in cooking came from watching his mother, his true inspiration, who was able to make an exquisite curry one day and then an impeccable roast beef the next.

After graduating in Physics from the University of Bath and beginning to work as a teacher, Steve decided to switch careers. Driven by his passion for cooking, he joined Alastair Little —one of the maximum exponents of modern British cuisine— as an assistant at his cookery school in the Italian city of Orvieto. Later he trained as a chef in Little’s restaurant in London.

In 1991 Steve moved to Valencia, and five years later he opened Seu Xerea, an unpretentious restaurant offering a contemporary fusion of Mediterranean cuisine with an Asian twist. Seu Xerea soon won a loyal following and accolades from local critics.

In 2014 Steve opened Ma Khin Café as an homage to his Burmese great-grandmother, celebrating the crossover between Southeast Asia and locally-sourced produce. In 2019, he reinforced his concept of “Decolonial Food” when he opened Baalbec, offering food from “the other shore of the Mediterranean”.

For Steve, food is always a meeting place that is about much more than cooking. Food brings together history, culture and family in a personal experience which he shares with his customers.