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Although the Royal Academy of Spanish Gastronomy has twice awarded him the International Gastronomy Prize to the Best Sommelier, Josep Roca prefers to call himself a "sommelier". Even so, it could easily be the most famous of all in the world.
This is because Josep, with his two brothers -Joan, who runs the salt kitchen, and Jordi, who is dedicated to pastry-chef El Celler of Can Roca, in Girona (Spain), a restaurant that has not only been the number one in the world in 2013 and 2015, but over the past decade has remained among the top 5 of the top 50 del Mundo restaurants, which organizes the magazine 'Restaurant', and who recently chose him again as number 2 on the planet, for the fifth time.
Josep Roca crossed Colombia, invited by the Embbady of Spain and BBVA. In addition to sharing his knowledge in the field of beverages, at a dinner hosted by local chefs Harry Sbadon and Álvaro Clavijo, this sommelier is still walking – as well as his brothers – in search of sources of food. inspiration that provide innovative elements. to his proposal in Girona.
In an interview with EL TIEMPO, Roca was also described as a "connoisseur of people". According to him, "hospitality to the customer" is very important because "it allows us to meet our guests and, in this way, to make couples more pleasant for them".
A few days ago, the Celler de Can Roca was chosen as the second world number … What influence does this global prestige have on the work of its restaurant?
At Celler's in Can Roca we know that we have a style and that trends are changing. We want to stay true to an idea that can be shaped, change with new motivation every day. Every day, there is an ability to show you excited, with an innate curiosity, with a daring innocence that allows you to delve into the creative process and the open roads. In this way we are and we will be as long as we maintain this pbadion that moves us
How would you define the style of cooking that you mention?
It's a cuisine with roots, a tradition of Catalan cuisine has lived for years this miscegenation to travel around the world, to take many countries in our skin and have filtered into our kitchen to make it more complex and rich. That meant we could talk about bread with tomato as something Catalan or omelette of potatoes as a typical spanish when its ingredients came from Latin America. This blend is constant and El Celler de Can Roca drinks to understand this reality of our environment incorporating nuances of ours and seeds that have traveled with us or are in our garden. Food is your landscape, but also what you experienced
What is behind the work and training of a sommelier?
The sommellerie must come directly from the sommelier's office. Wine waiter, with the ability to understand everything that a chef knows and integrate the specialties of the sommelier profession. And within it, there is a lot of applied psychology, anthropology and even neuroscience, which allows us to better understand the verbal and nonverbal gestures of the clients. It helps to reach the recommendations of the wine, based on a basic knowledge of food and vineyards, but also of this human geography that we must understand and be able to listen attentively.
Every day there is an ability to excite you, with an innate curiosity, with a bold innocence that allows you to dive into the creative process and open paths
You highlight the theme of touch with the public …
Sometimes it seems that La Sommeliere's figure is excessively pompous and I think she should not stop being near the restaurant. It is true that today the profession allows to be in the world of marketing, cellars, disclosure, but its place is close to gastronomy. For us it is important to claim this activity, that of "sommelier", thinking that there are people who can be in contact with the wine and grow in their knowledge, but without ever losing the dialogue with the customer , which is their mission Main.
How were the tasks shared between you and your brothers in your restaurant?
The relationship of the three is born of spontaneity and dedication to what we love. As early as the age of 9, Joan had the idea of being chef. For my part, since my youngest age, I had a natural approach to wine, since the age of 5 I have filled the bottles of wine in bulk with the boots we had under the cooked. Eventually, Jordi joined, with the restaurant already underway, with the help of a pastry chef who was his mentor and allowed him to specialize in something that neither Joan nor I were specialists. Thus, we are happy that everyone has his way of traveling and growing alongside the complicity of his brothers.
Why was he so close to wine since he was so small?
We lived indoors from a bar (restaurant). It never closed, so it was a place where there were always people and work. We had beds above this bar, we had no house. The house was the dining room of the bar and the kitchen, the restaurant. There were no rooms. We lived with the restaurant world since we were little, so when I talk to you about working 16 hours, it just keeps appearing natural, because we spent our life in this bar. So we incorporated it unconsciously and naturally, to help and have fun with something we found curious.
This house, this world where they grew up is part of El Celler one way or another. separate?
Every day at 9 am, we begin the process of creation, which consists of six points which are: landscape, travel, memory, tradition, complete products and academism. Then comes the training time, for interviews, etc. Then we will eat (lunch) at our parents' home, accompanied by the whole team. When we come back, the doors will open
Why do they go to lunch with their parents?
Because we wanted to stay in touch with our roots and that the whole team was also in touch with us. While we are in El Celler de Can Roca and we have recognition, right next door is the neighborhood bar where workers cook, an area that was immigration in the 50s and 60s. this neighborhood where we are born, where we live and where we work This journey of noon brings us back to the origin, the normality and teaches us to maintain the respect of the culture of the effort that gives us more lessons. One of these lessons is given by our 82-year-old mother, who continues to work to feed the workers for a very affordable price.
We have been living with the restaurant world since our childhood, so when I talk to you about working 16 hours, it does not cease to appear natural, as we spent our lives in this bar
are not only in the room to recommend wines, you also distill your own liqueurs. Tell us a bit about that?
Some time ago, we launched a project we call "Ars Natura Líquida", in which we distill our next landscape. We ferment the fruit that will spoil at the central market of the city, taking advantage to make wines and from there we extract distillates. In short, it is to recover a lost heritage, that of the distillates that have been manufactured on our territory for generations.
What are the drinks that come out?
Basic liqueurs to make a mixology in which it is not necessary to use trademarks. This is interesting because it allows a lot of play. For example, we collect a cactus from our coastal area to make a mezcal agave, a Mediterranean mezcal, a mezcal of the house. Also, fruit wines, as they are made in Colombia. But, in short, the proposal is to incorporate what we have lost in the Mediterranean region, to sip our sip of landscape by sip. It is an alchemy work that makes water-soluble, hydroalcoholic, absolute aromatic drinks and essences of flowers and spices, but also ancient books, sheep's wool, leather … Things that have not been noted before and that we incorporate into our liquid proposition menu.
How can a drink hold an entire landscape?
A carob badtail with strawberry liqueur, flavored with a loquat wine would be an example of a badtail with products from our Mediterranean environment
How's this called? badtail?
I just thought about it. The name is something later. The important thing is the methodology, create minds that can give a multiplicity of combinations. That would be called Los Angeles, because it comes from this area, where is Our Lady of the Angels. The important thing is the infinity of possible combinations that flow from this work.
From his travels in Colombia
Asked about the exploration of the ingredients he was making in his time in Colombia, he replied, "My brothers and I traveled to Colombia at different times. Once, for example, in search of the best cocoa possible to use in a wine called La Casa de Cacao, which will be seen in a National Geographic documentary. We are also interested in coffee and Colombian fruit, because they allow interesting things, such as fermented drinks that start from the processes that are developing in the Caribbean and in the Colombian Pacific. On the other hand, we made the book La cocina es tribute, which includes Colombia, Mexico and Peru, as a thank you for the recipes of these countries. "
GABRIELA GUERRERO ALONSO
EL Journalism School TIME
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