Jan 13, 2026
3 min read
After 13 years on the jury of RTVE, the president did not stop eating and opened a TV station, Casa Taberna, two companies with a health fund and a lot of profit;
Samantha Vallejo-Nágera, the business car that transcended 'MasterChef'
After 13 years on the jury of RTVE, the chef is opening a new television stage without leaving the management of his catering and Casa Taberna, both companies with healthy accounts and consistent profits.
After more than ten years as the undisputed face of MasterChef in Spain, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera says goodbye to the judge of the show that put her in front of millions of viewers.The chef and businesswoman will no longer be in the next season of the popular format of RTVE, where she shared the set with Jordi Cruz and Pepe Rodríguez since 2013, and will be replaced by the promoter known as Delicious Martha.The announcement generated many comments in the networks and media, but it should be remembered that the figure of Vallejo-Nágera is more than a television profile where many know him.
Samantha has a strong and extensive professional career in restaurants and gastronomy.Trained in famous European kitchens;Before she founded Samantha de España in 1995 with renowned chefs Carlos Horcher and Carlos Horcher in Lyon.Her own catering company has been serving high-end events and demanding clients for nearly three decades.In addition,She is the owner of Casa Taberna in Pedraza (Segovia), which has received critical acclaim, including Sol Repsol, and which reflects her commitment to traditional cuisine reinterpreted creatively.
Vallejo-Naguera's influence in the gastronomic field is not limited to service and business management: she also publishes several cookbooks, gives seminars and talks (such as the campaign with Algadi to promote healthy food in schools), and participates in some television and lifestyle projects that extend her influence beyond culinary talent.In the coming months, his appearances on shows like 'DecoMasters', where he will compete with his brother Nicolas, cooking and lifestyle specials, ensuring he maintains this perspective that only television can offer.
The numbers of Samantha Vallejo-Nágera show that the name rhymes with successive companies.Her main company, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera Catering, closed the last financial year with a turnover of more than three million euros and positive profits, consolidating a solid business model after almost three decades of experience.The company maintains a healthy structure, with a stable workforce of more than forty people and enough financial muscle to pay dividends, a clear sign of stability and good economic health.
The data is also useful for the aforementioned hotel-restaurant Casa Taberna in Pedraza, which it manages through the company La Taberna de Roscón SL, which also provides active individuals.With revenues of nearly one million euros and recurring profits, the agency has proven that Samantha's commitment to traditional, careful and quality restoration works independently of TV trends.
Samantha has always shown unusual energy.Granddaughter of psychiatrist and soldier Antonio Vallejo-Najero, daughter of engineer Jose Ignacio Vallejo-Nager Botas and nephew of psychiatrist, writer and professor Juan Antonio Vallejo-Nager Botas, the chef and businesswoman released a statement on Monday afternoon, opening a new stage in thanks for the program.
"After 13 years as a MasterSafe judge," he writes, "I have only good words for the program. Both thanks and respect to everyone who has been through it all these years. I've learned, I've had fun and, most importantly, I've laughed a lot. It's an experience I'll take with me forever and I have only good memories related to it and my lifestyle and the Gastro project."
While waiting for their definition, one thing is clear.Samantha is there for a while, even if it's between other dishes.
After more than a decade as the undisputed face of MasterChef in Spain, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera bids farewell to the jury of the program that established her in front of millions of viewers. The chef and businesswoman will no longer be in the next season of the popular RTVE format, where she shared the set with Jordi Cruz and Pepe Rodríguez since 2013, and will be replaced by the influencer known as Delicious Martha. The announcement has generated many comments in the networks and media, but it should beremember that the figure of Vallejo-Nágera is more than the television profile where many know him.
- Samantha Vallejo-Nágera poured €450,000 into her most personal project, C.V.
- Samantha Vallejo-Naguera debuts as a presenter on TVE, with a cooking show: her first recipe for Christmas Paco Martin-Vazquez
- Inside: The home of Samantha Vallejo-Nágera and her husband, from the 'MasterChef' kitchen to the large living room with full color Alexandra Benito
