Xabier Gutiérrez (San Sebastián, 1960) is a chef, psychologist, and writer. Since 1990, he has directed the innovation department at the Arzak Restaurant in San Sebastián. He also advises companies in the food industry, collaborates with media outlets, and teaches in the Master’s program in Innovation and Restaurant Management at the Basque Culinary Center.

He has published twelve cookbooks and five essays on culinary aesthetics. He has been awarded the National Gastronomy Prize and the Best World Cookbook Award. After publishing his first novel, El aroma del crimen (The Scent of Crime, Destino, 2015), Gutiérrez returned to the same setting and characters in El bouquet del miedo (The Bouquet of Fear), the second installment of his gastronomic noir series featuring Deputy Inspector Vicente Parra. He continued the series with Sabor crítico (Critical Taste, 2017) and De entre el humo (Out of the Smoke, 2019).