More than ten years ago, when you only saw a handful of chefs on TV, I realized that there are thousands in the country and that some of them are very good but have no promotion. I looked them up and wrote about them. With many I remained friends, with some even at the buckle. Now, through this initiative supported by The Bogdan domain and National Federation of Certified Tasters, I somehow go back to the beginning and try to promote a new generation of chefs with potential or who are already performing. They are chefs today, but many of them will be the great chefs of tomorrow. Today, Ionuț Gagiu from Atra Doftana, one of the three locations in Romania recently included in the Michelin Guide for Hotels.
Cwhen and how did you start, where did you work (especially important places) and who did you learn from?
I like good food, with taste, for as long as I can remember, but I will not come to tell you that I inherited the talent and passion and that I cooked together with my mother or grandmother, but I will tell you that I was passionate as a small child of football, I liked to hit the ball on the field with the boys and I saw myself as a great club football player. In 2006, my best friend and football partner was seriously injured. That event really shook me and made me reflect on my career as a football player. At an age when I was very connected with my friends and went out a lot to different places, to different events, HoReCa attracted me and I thought of going to the Cooking School, to have an official certificate for a serious job. That moment of my entry into the gastronomic world coincided with the request received by the school in 2006 from the La Madragora restaurant to send interested and passionate people to the interview in order to form the team, under the guidance of the renowned Chef Paul Peter Kopij, who had previously worked in Abu Dubai, at the famous Emirates Palace. This opportunity intrigued me very much and I told myself that I must do everything I can to get to his team. At the time, I think that my attitude and enthusiasm won him over, because there was no experience to speak of. So practically Chef Kopij put the knife in my hand, taught me the abc of the kitchen and sparked my passion for cooking. So I chose my future, being seduced by this fabulous Chef, strict but very passionate. Then came the experience in the Heritage project where I had the opportunity to work with Chef Juan Amador who enriched me as an experience with a professional and emotional impact that is very difficult for me to measure. After a tough selection, but at the time it seemed to me that I passed it easily (deh... naivety of age????) I was chosen to be part of his team. At the first effective working meeting, he told me "everything you know or think you know so far about the kitchen, forget it!" ... and that's how my trust and my naivety froze on the spot ... but, at the top, I didn't disarm myself, I strengthened myself even more, to prove that he made a good choice with me. The salary they proposed to me was almost 70% lower than what I was earning at the time, but I didn't take it into account because I was going to live a unique experience. I lived the most difficult but also the most beautiful moments with Chef Amador, he taught me to appreciate nature with all the riches it offers us, he instilled in me the passion for details, the perfection of cuts as part of the technique of preserving an aroma or a texture... in this sense I was amazed by one of the lessons I received from Chef Amador about parsley: how to choose leaf by leaf from the stem and how to cut, in a single movement of the knife blade, not several, not repeated but only once, to preserve its essence, flavors and texture. The education I received from him was holistic and went beyond the actual space of the kitchen... he taught me respect for nature, for plants, for animals, for ingredients of any kind... he taught me respect for taste and all this with an acute sense of responsibility towards avoiding waste of any kind. So demanding, fascinated by equipment, order and discipline, he had a
particularly aesthetic sense, oriented towards simplicity, elegance and obsessed with symmetry. The knives had to be perfectly sharpened and our work kits had to include a ruler, tweezers, thermometer and spatula.... I cut the cubes of vegetables and fruits with a ruler in search of uniformity and perfection. It's hard to comprehend the fascination I have for Chef Juan Amador, but one of the dishes that surprised me was "beurre blanc ice cream with caviar" served as a starter and as dessert, white chocolate lollipops with slices of truffles
I also had the opportunity to work with Chef Marc Rennhack, also recognized by the Michelin Guide, who inspired me and who contributed to my training and with whom I am still in touch
All the experiences enriched me and contributed to what I am today, I learned a lot from each Chef and I remain grateful to them and I want to believe that I bring them this way, a kind of thanks, through everything I create and offer to people today .
What level are you at now? What did you major in?
I have accumulated a lot of experience and I have matured as a Chef, but it is difficult for me to self-evaluate, to position myself on a certain level... I am a curious person and eager to learn, so whatever level I am now is relative, I care about developing myself continuously, creating, being inspired by nature, people, the places I explore.... And also for these reasons, now that you ask me, I realized that I don't have a particular specialization, I'm rather holistic in the kitchen, I also like to make soups and burnt cotton candy, and sophisticated dishes but and some simple ones that paralyze with intensity.
How do you progress in the kitchen, how long does it take you to level up?
That really depends on the person, on circumstances, priorities, how much you are willing to learn and share with others, what ambitions you have, how much time you allocate and how much effort.
How much school/how much practice. What you will never learn in school/courses. What does school help you with?
School teaches you the basics...all the rest is learned and discovered in the kitchen, in nature, in the orchard, in the garden, fishing, at the market or in the forest: from technique and discipline, to the way certain vegetables are harvested or cut ingredients, how to combine tastes, aromas, textures... you don't learn from books or at school how to work with people, how to explore, how to build teams.
Where do you work or what do you currently do?
Over the years, I have only one place where I returned after a previous experience, ATRA... and I returned because I felt a connection with the place, with the people, I returned to continue what I started between 2013 and 2015: the evenings of fine dining associated with wine tastings, my own garden... I came back to apply what I learned and what I accumulated as experience in the meantime... and I came back here because I knew I would have the freedom and support to create, to to manifest myself, to form a team, to explore. People develop where they feel loved and I want to stay. We have expansion plans but I can't reveal because I spoil the surprise ????
How do you see the state of HoReCa in Romania in 2023. What should we change?
I think that Romania has evolved a lot and I am happy to see so many people passionate about gastronomy... and I think that this is also an effect of all the television productions that address the masses and educate them... people, regardless of their economic power or social background they come from, now I'm talking about plating, they are concerned with taste, they look for experiences, they cook new dishes... of course this evolutionary movement in terms of gastronomy is also maintained by all the new projects in Horeca, some have consistency and consistency, others disappear as they appear ... there is a great effervescence both on the part of entrepreneurs and on the part of consumers. Romania is a sensation, it is a scene of extraordinary manifestation and I hope that soon we will also appear on the map of the Michelin Guide.
I think we should not focus on copying others and reinterpreting; I, for one, aim to offer dishes with personality, authentic, to highlight local ingredients and products, and in this way to have a modest contribution to the definition and promotion of Romanian values.
You returned to Romania. Why?
I'm back home! I realized while wandering around the world that people are the same everywhere... just that they come from different systems with different history and traditions... I returned among my own, because here I feel the best, not among strangers, here I feel happy and fulfilled, I'm back to do something that matters. I got into creating experiences for people.
What did your colleagues from abroad know about Romania. What did they know about Romanians? What did they know about Romanian gastronomy?
In 2009, not much was known about Romania apart from Dracula and corruption... we were looked at like that, with tolerance, a bit skeptical at first but I soon realized that it was easy for me to win their trust through work, seriousness , the desire to learn.
Have you cooked Romanian food abroad?
When I worked in Germany, I recommended my Chef to visit Romania, to discover the people, the places and everything we have to offer as a nation ....because it seemed to me that we have a lot to offer and that this attitude is humiliating in front of foreigners is completely unjustified! Not only did he comply with my proposal, but he returned to Romania years in a row, taking his family and friends on this adventure... I recently saw on DN, on the way to Valea Doftanei, a bus with a German license plate on which it was written " Discover the other side of Europe, Eastern Europe" and I was amused by the exoticism of the invitation... but yes, there is Europe here too, maybe even richer and more authentic and full of life than many of the western countries.
After my Chef's experience in Romania, he asked me to cook bulz, sarmale and soup for him and his colleagues.
Gastronomy is also a visiting card for a country and that is why it must be valued.
How do you think the Romanian gastronomic identity should look?
Our identity must be built around local values and ingredients.
What would you say to the older chefs you worked with?
That would be the pinnacle, to criticize those from whom I learned... maybe in my early years I experienced situations that made me tense or dissatisfied or frustrated, yes with my current mind, I can only thank them for the lessons that I learned them
Have you surpassed your teachers?
I didn't set out to surpass them, but to build my own identity; I never felt in competition neither with my teachers nor with other Chefs... we promote taste through what we do and taste is subjective. I care about developing myself and being an inspiration to those in my team.
What do you prefer, old Romanian cuisine or modernized?
It depends on the situation, the situation, the people I share with
What would your restaurant look like? What about the menu?
With the garden, the vineyard vault, old tables and in the bar, I must have an old classic soda machine, a stove and a wood-burning stove with a stove.
I would have a short menu, a maximum of 5 dishes inspired by what I find fresh at the market that day and I would only serve Romanian wines
My restaurant would be called "La Sifoane" ... sounds good, doesn't it, let's say "see you at Sifoane!"
What world trends do you follow/or do you like?
I don't like trends, I have my world among pots and pans, cheeses, herbs and vegetables, anchovies and doughnuts... I like freedom... I like to bring nature to people's plates... and look, I contradict myself because if it's a "trend" or a concept that I love and adopt in everything I do, that is "farm to table"
What accounts do you follow on social media?
I keep my eyes on Instagram and Facebook: raiz culinaria, Michelin guide, San Sebastian gastronomika, topchef
#instafood, #cheflife,#foodies,#bundet
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