The Catalan chef affirms that the future of gastronomy goes through one for a more conscious and more balanced kitchen with nature
Xavier Pellicer knew from a very young age that cooking was his thing and there is no other profession that has convinced him throughout his life. After beginning his gastronomic apprenticeship at the Arzak restaurant and being part of the kitchen team directed by Jean Jacques Simon at the Tierra restaurant, he went to France and immersed himself in the teachings of Maximin or Dutournier, but he admits that, on a personal level, the chef who has marked him the most has been the late Santi Santamaríathat would change his way of understanding cooking and with whom he shared ten years of his professional career.
He is currently happy in the restaurant that bears his name, focused on the product and healthy and balanced foodand winner of the 2018 World’s Best Vegetable Restaurant award by the We’re Smart Green Guide.
The chef enjoys when people realize that a vegetable “is an extraordinary dish”. In this sense, he is proud of elaborations such as cauliflower or beet gazpacho, “although today we are evolving in new ways of understanding the vegetable.” Despite this trend in green, he confesses that for a special occasion he goes for a good oyster and caviar.
Pellicer believes that the future of the sector lies in a cuisine that is more conscious and more balanced with nature “to make gastronomy of higher quality”. “In the coming years we have to continue with this awareness of feeding healthy, good, balanced and that people enjoy”, he points out.
The Catalan chef says he disconnects from the rhythm of the kitchen in the gym or having a glass of wine and sharing with his family. When choosing a restaurant, he prefers those that identify with his philosophy and his way of understanding food“but above all in those with good energy”.
‘Meetings a la carte’ continues with Xavier Pellicer a series of interviews that began with Erlantz Gorostizaof the MB Ritz Carlton Abama restaurant, and continued with the chef Alvaro Garrido, from Mina’s restaurant, and the sommelier John Munoz.
In this edition, the preferences and curiosities of Luis Vallsthe El Poblet restaurant, Valencia (2* Michelin); Juanlu Fernandezthe restaurant Lú, Cocina y Alma, Jerez de la Frontera (1* Michelin); and Jesus Segurafrom the Trivio restaurant, Cuenca (1* Michelin).
In previous years, renowned chefs such as Quique Dacosta, Virgilio Martínez, Ángel León, Martín Berasategui, Dani García, Andoni Luis Aduriz or Carmen Rus nameda.
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Chef, sommelier and gastronomic advisor. Expert in Food and Beverage management in the Hospitality sector, he is immersed in advisory work to restaurants in the development of menus, wines, spirits and cost control. In turn, he advises numerous brands in the agri-food sector. His training in the Services sector begins at the Benalmádena Hospitality School, to later expand his knowledge, studying the “Diploma in Food and Beverage Management” at CIOMijas, and the “International Sommelier Professional Certificate” by ESHOB. Manu Balanzino is passionate about the world of communication, and has founded the digital gastronomy newspaper, The Gourmet Journal, a reference publication in the gastronomic field which he directs. In addition, he is an expert collaborator in gastronomy in specialized magazines such as Andalucía de Viaje, El Gourmet (AMC Networks International Latin America) and Diario Sur. On radio, he hosts the program “Momentos Gourmets” on COPE and on television, he collaborates on Canal Cocina, RTV Marbella and Fuengirola TV.