Joan Roca (Girona, 1964) is one of the best chefs in the world. His name has been in the top 10 of Spanish and international charts for years. Celler de Can Roca, the restaurant he has shared with his brothers Josep and Jordi for 37 years in his hometown, has 3 Michelin Stars. This Thursday in Valencia, Roca attended a meeting organized by BBVA, with which he collaborates in the popularization of financial health management.
Just a few days ago he was once again ranked in the top 10 of the world’s best chefs. How do you manage this success?
The important thing is to maintain your enthusiasm and dedication to what you do, just like when we opened the restaurant 37 years ago. It’s about doing something because you like it, not for recognition, because rewards come and go and you shouldn’t miss them when they’re not there. is to be the key faithful to these beginningsPrinciples and values that make you dedicate yourself to something because it is what you love most in life. They gave us all the credit that can be given to a restaurant and a chef, and that makes you go further than when it all started. Rewards were never the goal, the goal is the path and being happy with something you do and love. Awards are great, nice and appreciated, but that’s not the point. When we opened the restaurant there was no listing and almost no Michelin Stars.
The shopping cart has increased considerably in recent months. Are big restaurants also looking at their pockets?
Yes, although the first criterion is to look for the best, we look at our pockets and save on the product. We seek a fair economy with small producers and get the best of both management and management when they arrive. awareness and SustainabilityIn terms of our team, in terms of the people who follow us and in terms of what we represent as a restaurant in a society that admires this world of gastronomy. Who would tell us that we had started! I never imagined a chef would be what we are today and it’s amazing. For this message to reach homes, we must measure what we do and say, be consistent, enforce usage, and ensure that waste is minimal or zero. Being aware that society admires us, we must do things well and ensure that people benefit from the taste of every product that comes with cooking at home. when to buy and where the product comes from, what impact this purchase will have on your health, your economy, and also our planet. If you buy it off-season, you know it’s coming from somewhere else, is more expensive, and will burn more fuel to get there. This is becoming increasingly important for obvious reasons.
Where do you buy it?
I buy it at the Girona market. I love shopping, walking and getting inspired there. We also buy products from small producers; We have direct contact with farmers, ranchers or fishermen, which means we can have a direct impact on their economy. create one circular economy from your location. We do not bargain we call quality. Another issue is the domestic space, where we need to look for seasonality and proximity.
We now find products in supermarkets all year round.
It is possible due to transportation, but it is not necessary to eat cherries on Christmas. It is about applying common sense and knowledge. Knowing how to cook affects our financial health and local economy. Everything processed will cost you more. We need to buy fresh products and process them, it is more economical to do it this way. It is very easy today to know what is near you. We need to take back the knowledge from our mothers and grandmothers about knowing how to transform products and when to buy them. It pains us to see this disappear.
What is always in the refrigerator at home?
I never miss fresh produce and leftovers. I keep these and recycle them the next day. We don’t throw anything away, we reuse it. I love cheeses, dairy products, yoghurts. I love eating sauces and products from other cultures. For example, a cauliflower with some soy, honey and mustard may be the same cauliflower but in a different way. I like to improvise when I open the refrigerator
Do you also cook at home?
I cook more at home than at the restaurant (laughs) because there are wonderful expert guys and girls at the restaurant who have been with me for a long time and when we decide to make a dish they do it many times, they do it better than me. I direct, but they execute. You cook at home more freely and by experimenting. I recommend people cook without a guide.
But for this you need to know.
Not a lot. Read the recipe, see the result and what you have, change any ingredients. You should cook with intuition rather than having to follow a recipe exactly, which forces us to buy products we may not need later.
The reuse cuisine he advocates takes us back to that mother and grandmother tradition.
I object to you Cooking is taught in primary schoolsbut not as something fun or complementary, cooking is science. Everything that happens in the kitchen is physical and chemical reactions. If children knew how to cook, the society of the future would be much better and healthier; He knew how to manage his financial health because he knew how to buy products and benefit from them. Plus, it’ll be better for the health of the planet and emotional well-being, because cooking is about loving the people you live with.
Do you still follow the recipes of your mother and grandmother, your great teachers?
My mother and grandmother continue to be my inspiration, they are the ones who taught me how to cook. This memory still lingers today when creating modern, aesthetically new dishes. the most important thing is taste.
Is the profession inherited?
My oldest son is a cook. He didn’t want to be, he studied Politics and suddenly decided he wanted to be a chef. He took a trip before starting work at El Celler, which he will join in January. I don’t know if the profession is inherited because there are wonderful colleagues who don’t come from that family tradition. Yes, there is great learning. It is true that there is a bond if you are born and live in that environment.
What was your upbringing like at the local bar?
It was beautiful. It was a working-class neighborhood bar on the outskirts of Girona, a neighborhood that welcomed immigrants from the south of Spain in the 60s, and you were surrounded by customers who were friends and family. We experience the feeling of hospitality in an extraordinary way. Generosity, effort and dedication were things my family passed on to us.
What’s it like to work with your siblings?
My parents’ values have a lot to do with this. My brother Josep and I used to fight when we were little (laughs). But working together continues trust, the ability to share, inherited values, generosity, respect and knowing how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes when you disagree with something, the ability to listen. This is not just job sharing, this is job management. A company created with effort and hard work, we feel very committed. We recently came together and decided that we would work together for another 10 years, at least if our health is with us.