How did your love for the culinary world begin?
Since I was a child, I grew up in the kitchen. My mother and my grandmother are two great cooks and they always instilled in me a love for this wonderful tradition. I remember the winters helping my mother to peel apples to make delicious apple pies, and September afternoons peeling chickpeas to save for the winter to make rich stews, a typical Spanish dish for the season.
5-star service all the time
Tell us a bit about your personal achievements, career, etc.
Throughout the course of my career, I have been able to learn from some of the very best chefs in the world. I started my career in the kitchen of Martín Berasategui, the Spanish chef with the most Michelin stars in the world, and was part of the team that achieved the first star at his restaurant Lasarte in Barcelona. Then I went on to spend time working with an internationally recognized chef, Carmen Ruscalleda, in her Michellin 3-Star restaurant Sant Pau. My last experience in the world of haute cuisine was at probably the most well-known restaurant in the world, El Bulli. It won the prize of the best restaurant in the world for 6 years running and I was lucky to spend time in that kitchen as a Chef de Partie.
Anticipate the guests' needs
How did you become a part of the Casa de Campo family?
After many years in the world of haute cuisine, I decided to explore opportunities in hotels and came to the Dominican Republic as part of the team that was launching a Martin Berasategui project in a resort in Punta Cana. 3 years in, I was looking for a change of scenery and was fortunate that Casa de Campo had recently embarked on a process to reinvent its F&B offering. My desire to create and innovate, as well as my extensive experience in some of the world’s best restaurants and several hotels, made me a good match for the profile Casa de Campo was looking for and the rest is history, I guess. I am very happy here and proud of what we have achieved since joining the team 5 years ago.
Tell us about Flavors: Gastronomic Concepts by Casa de Campo, what does this project mean to you?
Flavors: Gastronomic Concepts is a very interesting project we worked on in 2019. The idea was to create a series of restaurant-like experiences around certain questions such as “Is it possible to learn about the Dominican Republic’s history through food?” or “Would a pre-historic man have been able to do fine dining?” By thinking about these ideas holistically and integrating thoughtful details to every element of service from the design of the menu, to the décor and ambiance, and service sequence, we essentially created several concepts that could have perfectly developed into their own restaurants.
It was a great experience, especially for us as a team. We saw that when we all come together, when we learn new things and put our best forward, we are truly able to produce outstanding and memorable experiences for our guests that we will hopefully be able to enjoy again soon.
Anticipate the guests' needs
What does the future hold for Casa de Campo from a gastronomic standpoint?
We’re happy to finally announce a new restaurant concept, debuting in the marina just in time for the holiday season: CAUSA, Peruvian cuisine. We are convinced it will be well received and that we will continue to build on the success of our brands like Minitas Beach Club, the Massa, and Brasa food trucks, as well as Chilango in Altos de Chavón. In addition to this, recent developments due to Covid-19 have shown a renewed interest and in small, private gatherings at home so we will be presenting some new options for guests and villa owners to enjoy in the comfort of their villa, private jet, or yacht.
What do you do in your free time when you are not in the kitchen?
I am a very active person and have taken up running and tennis in recent years. It is a great way to spend time outdoors and, especially as part of my running training, to discover Casa de Campo’s hidden secret corners. Asides from this I spent a lot of time with family and friends, often around a great meal and enjoying the community of Casa de Campo.
