Barcelona prepares to host the next red guide gala, which will be held on November 28 and will feature, for the first time, an award for the best sommelier. The city will also host different events to celebrate the new stars, for example, the take-overs of The Barcelona Edition that will bring together restaurants and bars of the level of Gente Rara and Moonlight (E)xperimental Bar, Florería Atlántico and Salmon Guru or Alejandro Serrano and Angelita Madrid. To discover more details about the gala, we chatted with Paolo Casagrande, gastronomic coordinator of the event along with Jordi Cruz and the Torres brothers, and we took the opportunity to ask him about new culinary trends.
--- At the last presentation of the gala, you said that "the charisma, strength and talent in Barcelona is unstoppable." Why do you think the city brings together so much culinary creativity?
--- Barcelona is a city rich in talent. You can come back many times and never get tired of its monuments or its architecture because it is a living city. As an Italian, for me it is a dream to live here. At a culinary level, furthermore, there are great chefs and a spectacular shopping basket. Few chefs are lucky enough to encompass so many different products and ecosystems.
--- For the BCN ADN Excelencia campaign, which is linked to the gala and highlights personalities who represent the city's excellence, you have nominated Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Àlex Corretja and Antonio Orozco. What do you value in them?
--- I love music, outdoor sports and racket sports. On my days off, in fact, I always try to go do sports or walk. It also happens that all of them have come to Lasarte or, in Gasol's case, I saw him play in Toronto.
--- This year you will be one of the gastronomic coordinators of the Michelin gala. Can you tell us anything about the menu that will be served? Will you make your mythical squid tartare?
--- They will be reference dishes from each chef, so there will be creative and also classic options. They have given us carte blanche and the truth is that it has been very easy to agree. But I haven't done anything with squid because there was already a proposal with this ingredient (laughs).
--- Speaking of mythical things, your relationship with Martín Berasategui has just turned twenty years old. What lessons have you learned from him?
--- Yes, it all started in 2003, when my head chef in Paris told me about him. I looked him up in a magazine and loved him, so that same weekend I traveled by bus all night from Paris to San Sebastián and, a month later, I was already working with him. Martín's values are very similar to those of my family. We have a friendship and I also feel that the whole team is a big family.
--- At Lasarte, you have people who have been working with you for many years. Sometimes it is forgotten that staff well-being is also a sustainability criterion.
--- Restaurants not only have to make diners happy or achieve perfection in their dishes but also make the team happy. Sustainability is something we live daily for years with staff, with suppliers, or with anyone who visits our home.
--- What do you like most about being a chef?
--- I am very lucky that it is my passion. I had never thought of being one; it was my father who convinced me of it because I was always in the kitchen with my grandmother. But, if I think about it, all my interests today revolve around gastronomy.
--- Lasarte is one of the best places in Barcelona and dishes like the warm salad or the mille-feuille are already living history of the city. Where will it go in the coming years?
--- We are living a very beautiful moment, we have a long way to go and there will be a lot of evolution. Martín is the best example of this: despite his age, he is like a young boy. We are very eager to do new things and to involve the entire team, suppliers, and even brands. And I can tell you that we are working on redesigning the new chef's table.
--- In addition to Lasarte, you are also the gastronomic director of the Orobianco restaurant in Calpe. Curiously, in both places, you combine an à la carte menu with a tasting menu. Do you think the latter will end up disappearing?
--- I am very happy with the Orobianco project. Customers really appreciate having an à la carte menu and I like to offer both options. Tasting menus help a lot with cost control and I don't think they will disappear, but it is important that the diner can choose what they want at all times.
--- Speaking of diners, the number of people who repeat the Lasarte experience is surprising, something not easy for a three-Michelin-star restaurant. Does being in the guides help?
--- Look, just this week we had a couple from the United States who had been here in 2017 and wanted to come back. Without a doubt, guides consolidate a restaurant, but word of mouth is also very important. In the end, our daily goal is for the client to leave speechless.
--- You also collaborate occasionally with recipes for Xuba Tacos or Algrano, establishments led by former and current colleagues. The same ingredient always appears in these proposals: radicchio. Tell us about this vegetable that you like so much.
--- I just received an award as an ambassador for radicchio! It is a winter vegetable that I grew up with, which has a PGI from Treviso, which is where I am from. In addition, it is highly valued: in London or Tokyo they pay up to 50 euros per kilo. It has a very particular flavor, with many nuances. And, since it goes from November to May, there will be radicchio on Lasarte's New Year's Eve menu.
--- Looking ahead, what trends do you see in the restaurant world?
--- I believe that vegetables will have increasing relevance. At Lasarte we already work more with them, in addition to preparing recipes with less fat and opting for light combinations and short portions. Customers no longer want five-hour menus and that is why we opt for shorter ones. We want them to have a good experience and want to come back.