Pepa Munoz It is an example of effort, tenacity, work and fidelity, since its clients, once they meet Pepa and her famous restaurant, return to this delicious place. Their basic ingredients to succeed in business and personal life is loyalty, good work, surrounding yourself with a great team and offering the best of the best to your clientele. Getting there is hard, but staying is a challenge, and for challenges to this prestigious chef, no one can beat her.
the owner of Pepa’s Bowlwhich has a michelin star, In addition to being a great professional, she is a supportive and very humane woman. In the most difficult situations, she has not hesitated to roll up her sleeves and be on the front line of the battle, feeding the victims of the great catastrophes she experienced. Spain last year such as those from the Filomena storm, those affected by the pandemic and those who suffered from the eruption of the La Palma volcano.
She loves Mexico, the country where she has been offered to settle, but she prefers that the Mexicans, whom she adores and for whom she feels great affection, visit her in Madrid. “To arrive at this beautiful place is to surrender to the culinary charms of Pepa Muñoz”, he assures.
“The best prize for me would be to feed the Pope”, longs for Pepa, who has been in the kitchen for 19 years, but what balance can she make of almost two decades of work? How were her beginnings? “Of these almost two decades, the balance is undoubtedly positive, yes, in exchange for enormous work every day. The beginnings were very hard. It was very difficult to start and start. Mila (partner) and I had the most important thing: self-confidence, great enthusiasm and capacity for work”.
But, what distinguishes El Qüenco de Pepa and what is the basic ingredient to get where it has arrived? the basic ingredient? two, honesty and hard work.”
The name also has its history, “it has to do with my father. That was how he baptized his first restaurantnow, as I run my own restaurant, I have added my name”.
On the other hand, Pepa has turned to the most terrible situations that Spain has experienced in recent months, the pandemic, Filomena, the Ávila fire, the La Palma volcano; “I think we should all consider it an obligation, a necessity, to pitch in.”
In Madrid, Pepa receives clients from all over the world, but in Mexico they love Spanish food, her restaurant and the products made in Spainbut, have you not thought about taking the leap to the other side of the pond and setting up a delegation from your famous restaurant?
“Despite having proposed it to me on many occasions, I have not seriously considered it. At the moment I prefer to receive all the Mexicans who visit us frequently at El Qüenco de Pepa and continue to surprise them with my cuisine”, he says.
CONNECTION WITH THE EARTH
Pepa cares for, controls and is personally in charge of the origin of the products that arrive in her kitchen, as well as the raw materials that come from her own garden. Is this a way of controlling quality and exquisiteness? “I wouldn’t know how to do it any other way. I like to know what the starting point is for each product that enters my restaurant. Some of them, not finding that point of origin with the cleanliness that I like, we have decided to create it, cultivating our own vegetable garden. There we are recovering ancestral seedbeds, some seeds (of tomatoes) are more than 90 years old. It is a wonder”.
What is the most rewarding thing about your job? And the hardest thing about being in the stoves? “The most rewarding thing is being able to make many people happy through my creations, the amount of nice things they say to me and meeting wonderful people every day. The hardest thing is how quickly the days go by and I miss many family celebrations”.
Having a star implies self-demand, not relaxing to maintain it and encourage the team to continue innovating, “I always go at the same pace, to the highest with or without recognition. Of course I love that they reward me, but this does not intervene in my demand to do things better every day”.
IN THE TABLE
For Pepa, what should not be missing in a good table is good bread and glasses to match the wine. Also a clean ironed cloth tablecloth. As for food, she prefers a good olive oil.
As for gastronomic memories, she assures that as a child she liked fried eggs with potatoes, “yes, from the field and olive oil at its point, to fry”. And what about Mexican food? “Love it. I would not hesitate to try the mole poblano, different tacos and, of course, a good tequila”.
By Veronica Benjumeda