BY SARAH MARTIN
32
s
l English TEXTS
INT ERVIEW
E
STONE, FRYING PAN OR TRUMPET We visit the kitchen of Ricard Camarena during a busy workday to check out what life is like in a Michelin star restaurant. The conclusion is clear - this is a life only for the brave! For Ricard however, who for years devoted himself to building stonewalls under the cruel Alicante sun, life in the kitchen is much sweeterBy Joseán Vilar After checking his skills at the stove ‘in situ’, we pose a series of questions about his work, life and concerns. Is the kitchen a means or an end? Both. It is an end because it addresses many of my ambitions; at the same time it is a way earning a living and a way of life. What are your ambitions? There are lots! Some have nothing to with the kitchen, but with teamwork, with surrounding myself with people who make me feel good, who complement me. This can be found in many areas, in many other creative or interpretive fields. Cooking has addressed my business ambitions and has allowed me to create different business proposals. In short, things that I might have looked for in other areas, coincidentally I have found them in the kitchen. What is the story of this happy accident? To be honest it’s a story of many failures. Did you have someone close who inspired you? No one specifically, although in a way, everyone. I liked eating and cooking and I intuitively paid attention to the people who cooked around me. It was like those children who like to draw and try to copy what they love most. It was all very unconscious and natural. But, in your group of friends for example, were you designated the official cook? Yes, definitely. From the age of twelve, when we started to go out, I would always be the one to cook. There was no discussion… Your passion was the trumpet. Are you still interested in music? I am very interested, I am music mad but as a perfectionist, I don’t have the time to dedicate to it that I would like. Everything I do, I like to do well and feel as if I have mastered it. In the case of the trumpet, I still have it under the bed. Without doubt, someday I will play it again, when cooking is no longer my priority. What music do you listen to when you are cooking? It depends on the moment: 40’s jazz, 80’s Spanish pop, British rock, classical music. Every moment has its music. What do you think about when you cook? There isn’t really a pattern. When I cook, I’m cooking. Like a painter when he is painting... although such comparisons are perhaps somewhat pretentious... Like a driver when he is driving... is that better? Haha! That’s more appropriate! Really, I think that more important than the artistic component is the skilled and manual work. In my case, it is this element that seduces me and moves me: the reward of seeing your efforts reflected on a plate, something tangible that you can perceive with your own senses. Of course, there are those who can frame this in an artistic way. But, in my case, it is secondary. Another clearly important thing is the point of view of the customer, which is very different from that of the chef. The diner receives very little information about what has happened during the work process; he has few clues about what goes on behind the kitchen door. As we prepare the dish, we have a different vision of the result. You, the customer, have a much more aseptic vision, purer, without prejudice.