Unforgettable room managers in Spain
That is why it may be time to talk about **them and them**: the **heads of the room** who have marked (and who are defining) a wonderful time of gastronomy , of all the cuisines of Spain.
But first, a bit of folklore. In the Erasmus treatise on Civility (eye, 1530) that maxim that today sounds like chirigota is already sneaking in, but no.
“Instead of sucking your fingers or cleaning them on your clothes after eating, it will be more honest to dry them with a tablecloth or napkin”, the quote is collected by the illustrious gastronome Julius Camba in his wonderful Lucullus's house .
Some fault of Erasmus and some fault of the creation of the first kitchen utensils (forks of gold, silver and ivory) in the hands of what was then known as mâitre d'hôtel or écuyer —which was basically the man in charge of carve the roasts — he is born room service in fifteenth-century Europe.
In principle it was a matter of kings, princes, tycoons and Marie Antoinettes on duty, from there to the French bourgeoisie well into the eighteenth century and... from those powders, these muds.
**Today we do not understand a great restaurant without an exemplary room**.
Especially now, in this return to the kitchen of territory and recovering the importance of the noble art of making the diner happy; “service as a way of looking at life”, is the mantra of Pere Monje, maître de Via Veneto and perfect alibi to tell you what this is about: a letter of love, respect and admiration felt to so many room managers guilty of so many moments of happiness.
Today they (and they) are the protagonists.
JULI SOLER
It is impossible to understand the importance of the room in what we all understand as a 'gastronomic restaurant' without Juli Soler, alma mater of the best restaurant of the century, elBulli.
Died July 2015; “A rocker in Montjoi”, a philosopher's stone of the Bullinian spirit and a totemic and overwhelming figure (for good, because I remember his presence almost as much as Ferran's dishes).
We will never forget his legacy and his speech: "Then, of course, there was our philosophy, our interest above all to provide pleasure to the diner, so that he left satisfied and happy".
JOAN CARLES IBAÑEZ
Today is the face of Lasarte, the three stars of Martin Berasategi and Paolo Casagrande in that space (work of Óscar Tusquets) without which it is possible to understand the gastronomic creativity of the city of Barcelona, but before that it was one of the mainstays of that unforgettable restaurant in Sant Celoni: The Racó de Can Fabes by Santi Santamaría.
Joan Carlos, National Gastronomy Award for the best Room Director (along with Ángeles Serra and Cándido Tardío) and that unusual talent for making the difficult easy; a good sommelier? “Warmth, the ritual of service, languages and, above all, great skills in customer psychology. He is a good DJ, he knows how to play the best music at the best time”.
Joan Carles Ib ez
PERE MONK
Co-owner and maître de ** Via Veneto in Barcelona,** which is like saying the Holy Grail of love for things well done and tradition well understood, Pere is part of that lineage of the most orthodox gastronomic classicism : “all of us understand service as a work philosophy, and I would almost dare to say as a way of looking at life, which places customer service as the main objective”.
Via Veneto, and his gaze on the work in the room are still, today more than ever, a beacon, an island (like Asterix's Gaul) on the fringes of trends, hesitations and modernity.
CARMELO PEREZ
A titan, a piece of Madrid history, that of this Zamoran who hung up his boots this year after 48 years in the profession and 13 at the head of the Zalacaín room management: 48 years with a smile on his face, which is said soon.
Prior to Zalacain , the Hotel Palace, Hotel Ritz or Jockey until arriving at what was (let's not forget) the first Spanish restaurant to obtain three michelin stars.
As a curious note, he was responsible for the wedding banquet of the then Princes of Asturias and current Kings of Spain , but more important than all that —at least for me— the hundreds, thousands of clients, stories and moments of warmth under his service.
Carmelo Pérez, Head of the Zalacain room
Monica Fernandez
One of the last to arrive but Monica is redefining, from the simplicity and sensitivity , what we understood as a perfect maître.
Sorry: a maitre . Because the one from Lugo has just been chosen as the best sommelier in the world ( Prix au Sommelier ) in the International Academy of Gastronomy Awards held in Paris and has done so with discretion, knowledge and affection as a flag at the head of the Bambú Group restaurants: 99 Sushi Bar, 99 KŌ Sushi Bar and 19 Sushi Bar.
Hopefully more and more room directors like her (or Carmen González de Zalacaín, in charge of the room after Carmelo Pérez) at the head of our always great restaurants.
Monica Fernandez
ABEL VALVERDE
An institution in Madrid. author of HOST, The importance of a good room service (Editorial Planeta) , National Gastronomy Award, Best Maître of the year and Grand Prix de l'Art de la Salle in the framework of the Grand Prizes of the International Academy of Gastronomy.
But more than all that, a necessary figure to understand a cathedral like Santceloni, and that is that the discretion, cordiality, perfect mastery of the service and an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese (that cheese table!) have turned Abel Valverde into indisputable member of the select group of Spanish room managers that literally hold a chair in the trade.
Abel Valverde de Santceloni
JORGE DAVILA
Let's stop beating around the bush: is the boss . Because (and this is my opinion) few meters have understood so well the balance between the distance to the diner that a great restaurant demands (a waiter is not your colleague, nor should he be) and the cordiality and warmth of those who are working for and for your happiness.
Dávila directs the gastronomic project of Grupo Álbora and the rooms of A Barra, Álbora and Joselito's and that is why he clearly understands perfect service as “ the sum of thousands of details, where what is important is not only what is on the plate but everything that surrounds it ; and if we take care of all the details of the whole we will be able to make it a more complete and satisfactory experience for the client”.
I know that if Jorge is around, nothing can go wrong; Can you think of a better compliment?
this chronicle It does not end today, nor here. And we want to put black on white over all those names (somewhat) guilty of this shared love for cooking: Javier Oyarbide, Antonio García Prieto de Horcher, Pitu Roca del Celler de Can Roca, José Polo de Atrio, Ricardo Gadea de Askua, Juan Diego Sandoval de Coque or Stefania Giordano de Nerua. so many...
Jorge Davila