Xandra Luque, chef at the Clinic in Madrid, publishes her "Recipes with a pulse," which combine health, flavor, innovation, and emotion.

ChefXandra Luque, manager the Clínica Universidad de Navarra Madrid,has just published Recetas con pulso (Recipes with Heart), a book featuring more than fifty dishes prepared in a hospital settingthat prove that "taking care of your health and enjoying food are compatible experiences." 

The book combines real recipes and nutritional advice.From his perspective, food is part of medical treatment and should be approached with the same technical and human standards as any other aspect of care. "Cooking with passion means cooking with soul and with the desire for those recipes to have a profound impact," says Luque, who runs the clinic's kitchen with the conviction that every dish can be a way of accompanying and caring for patients. 

In Recetas con pulso,the chef shares her own signature dishes, such as the famousenxaladillaor her mother's lentils, along with nutritional advice and culinary tips. Her Philosophy is based on "respect for local and seasonal produce, authenticity, and creativity, always with one common ingredient: love. In hospital cuisine, technique and control are not enough: sensitivity is essential.We cook with recovery and well-being in mind, and we want each tray to convey warmth,"explains Luque. 

The hospital kitchen of the future

The book expresses the future outlook for hospital cuisine offered work Hospitality work the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, since, according to Xandra Luque, "it must be both science and creativity at the same time."   

Regardingthe direction of nutrition and hospital cuisine, the chef believes that it should continueto evolve towards nutritional personalization, "with menus tailored to the specific needs of each patient, even their DNA"; towards a greater connection with research, "integrating innovation to improve textures, techniques, and combinations adapted to different pathologies"; towards sustainability, "promoting kitchens with less waste, local products, and more environmentally friendly processes"; and towards Education , "to turn hospital kitchens into spaces that teach people to eat better and healthier." 

"I imagine hospitals where eating continues to be a moment of well-being. Good cuisine takes time, respect for the product, and attention to detail. Food can also be medicine," he emphasizes. 

In addition to its gastronomic value, Recetas con pulso has a strong charitable aspect:the profits will go to theCUN Te Acompaña program, a project run by the Clínica Universidad de Navarra offersattendance and comprehensive support to families facing pregnancies with a poor prognosis or genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. 

Gastronomy and commitment to health

Xandra Luque (Madrid, 1988) is a chef and dietitian with an extraordinary combination of culinary talent and commitment to health. After training in Catering and Dietetics and Nutrition at the Fuenllana school, she completed programs of study various official schools, becoming an expert capable of combining flavor and well-being.  

He began his degree program Mario Sandovaland managed multiple kitchens before taking on a project : leading the kitchens at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra Madrid since 2017, where he has created a visionary concept of haute cuisine for hospitals based on fresh, local, and seasonal products, prepared using techniques adapted to each subject 

Her pioneering career has been recognized with numerous awards: Best Salad in the Community of Madrid in 2021,award for Best Hospital Cuisine 2023in the III National Competition of the association of Hospital Hospitality;"Gastronomic Chef" in the Authentic Excellence Awards of 2024; and, in 2025, her appointment as certificate Product Ambassador certificate Madrid, along with theEcohostelero distinctionfor her sustainable practices in hospital cuisine.