Chefs highlight the solidarity shown by the culinary community after the dana in Valencia: «It has been a team effort on a global level»
Chefs Luis Valls and Mario Sandoval join forces with their four hands and four Michelin stars to demonstrate that «origin and tradition» are key ingredients in today’s cuisine and can be enhanced by techniques. «Innovation is also about delving into your land.»
These chefs assert in an interview with Europa Press, on the occasion of the four-handed dinner they offered on Wednesday night at El Poblet in València. After cooking together in November at Coque in Madrid, these professionals have now starred in this «return match» at the Valencian restaurant.
«With tradition and all the techniques we know now, both El Poblet and Coque create a free cuisine that surprises and excites,» they affirm. In the menu, with a strong presence of citrus fruits, they offer examples such as artisan sausages with Easter longaniza, cured horse loin, sheep cecina, and figatell sobrasada; roasted pumpkin ravioli with hazelnut, chestnuts, Osetra caviar, bergamot sauce, rebozuelo, and bone marrow béarnaise; eel cooked in limonimédica or olive rice, among other proposals.
When asked about the trends that they believe will shape the culinary culture in the medium and long term, Sandoval responds emphatically: «honesty.» «I always value the honesty of places, the way of purchasing, approaching the farmer or the gardener, and attending to the customer.» In this regard, Valls adds, «We will increasingly be purer in choosing our suppliers and in making relationships more personal, which perhaps also falls under that umbrella of honesty.»
Regarding the sustainability of the sector, both emphasize that it has been «integrated» into their discourse «for a long time,» Valls points out. «Sustainability should not be a reward; it should be in the DNA of the restaurant,» concludes the chef from Madrid.
The two chefs also underline the ties of their activity with the business fabric of the territories where they are based. «We are a voice and a claim,» they defend.
«There are many good people in Spain, and there are many good chefs in this country, which is the tip of the iceberg of creativity and innovation in gastronomy in the world,» proclaims Mario Sandoval. Regarding government support, Luis Valls believes that in Valencia, «the institutions have stepped up,» although he adds that «we must continue working because not all the work is done, far from it.»
Finally, regarding the situation that Valencia is experiencing after the tragic dana that devastated much of the province on October 29, leaving more than 220 people dead, the chefs emphasize that gastronomy has shown its solidarity. «It has been a team effort on a global level» led by colleagues like Ricard Camarena, Quique Dacosta, and Begoña Rodrigo through the ‘From Valencia to Valencia’ initiative, notes Luis Valls.
«WE HAVE BEEN WITH THE PEOPLE»
The Valencian chef has also been affected by material losses and has been «deeply involved at 200%» — he is a resident of Picanya, one of the devastated towns — and has emphasized that while participating in relief efforts, he forgot about his own issues, about having to report to the insurance company as well. «Among the restaurants I advise, we have served about 6,000 meals a day, we have been with the people, giving hugs, crying, the first night we were already in Paiporta with José Andrés (World Central Kitchen)…» he recalls.
Sandoval, whose wife is Valencian, has also participated in solidarity initiatives, and his menu has included an allipebre in recognition of l’Albufera in Puerto de Catarroja, an area he declares he is «in love with.» «Gastronomy has rallied, it is supportive, and we have always done it, both during the pandemic and now, and I think it has been a sector that has been very close to the people who have needed it,» he concludes.
