They say that what differentiates us from animals is language. But, as historian Yuval Noah Harari points out, we actually became kings of the jungle the day we decided to put food on the fire, to cook. That's how we killed microbes, our teeth and intestines became smaller, and our brain grew larger, and the revolution arrived: we started painting cave walls, creating art. If, as the popular advertisement said, there's no party without Martini, there would be no art without cooking, nor cooking without art and passion. All this, along with basic values for work and life, has been learned at the Villa Retiro cooking school by a group of young people at risk of social exclusion.
The kitchen of the Villa Retiro restaurant in Xerta (Tarragona) is always full of all kinds of smells and flavors that make one drool just imagining them. After all, Michelin Stars don't fall from the sky, and the restaurant run by brothers Fran and Quim López has held one for almost 10 years now. But among its stoves, there had never been as much enthusiasm as last Friday, the day Yunes, Noemí, Nieves, and seven other youngsters had to demonstrate everything they had learned over three months, preparing a grand appetizer.
Gastronomy is an art and, like all art, it requires vocation. "I always wanted to cook," explains Nieves, "but I became a mother very young and couldn't." Another colleague, Yunes, also had to forget his dream of being a chef, but now he even thinks about setting up his own restaurant. And this is precisely the raison d'être of this kitchen and catering assistant course designed by the Fundació Gentis, the labor insertion program of Obra Social "la Caixa" and Villa Retiro Grup: to improve the employability and self-esteem of young people and give an opportunity to those who had always been clear that gastronomy was their calling, but had not been able to dedicate themselves to it professionally.
In the course, the boys have learned the tasks of a kitchen assistant, as well as basic life skills, both personal and professional, such as teamwork, adaptability, emotional management, and responsibility. The chefs at Villa Retiro have also tried to convey their passion for the profession to them. "Working on something you're passionate about is fundamental. If you achieve it, the hours fly by," says Edu, the chef who has worked hand in hand with the boys these three months. "What motivates me daily is cooking for others, and this is what I have tried to convey to the boys." Because, with a little effort, anyone can learn to julienne vegetables, thicken a sauce with beurre manié, or debone a lamb. But there's something no one can teach you, something you either have or don't, and these kids have plenty of it: the passion you feel for what you do. In the art of cooking, this is the one and only true secret ingredient.
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