Chef Canales was born in Bilbao, Spain and studied hospitality before moving to France to study under Francis Ducasse, the first teacher of Alain Ducasse. In 1998, he opened the restaurant Etxanobe and a Michelin star followed. Twenty years later, he opened two other restaurants and had carved a niche as a visiting chef in Japan, South/North America, Germany, Turkey, Russia, France, China and Lebanon. He is also a jury member in cooking competitions and teaches courses across Spain.