Virgilio Martínez: “We cannot look at the restaurant as a mere company, but rather as something innovative”
Virgilio Martínez, a renowned Peruvian chef and entrepreneur, shared his vision of the restaurant industry, stressing that “I can’t behave like a chef or a manager or an entrepreneur. We are a bit of everything. We can’t look at the restaurant as a mere business, but rather as something innovative. It is an innovation.”
With extensive experience in traditional cuisines across Europe, Martinez realized that this model did not adapt to the context of Peru. “We created dishes that transport us to another place that reminds us of other physical spaces in the world,” he explained, highlighting the importance of creativity in gastronomy.
The statement was made in conversation with Miguel Poiares Maduro at the conference “Chefs, Economy and Sustainability – A Global Dialogue at the Table”, held this Monday at the Soares dos Reis Museum in Porto. An event in which Virgilio Martínez, from the Central restaurant, distinguished as the best restaurant in the world in the most recent World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking, discussed his vision of the business.
The chef stressed the importance of excellence, not only in the presentation of the dishes, but also in hospitality. He considers it important to have “excellence in the dish, in hospitality. We have to have the luxury of receiving people who come to enjoy themselves and leave with a smile”, he stated, highlighting the importance of the human factor in the restaurant industry.
On the other hand, to make his restaurant sustainable, Martínez recognized that it was crucial to establish a good relationship with people, especially with farmers. “That’s why we started working the land together with the farmers,” he said, highlighting the role of local agriculture in the sustainability of the business.
The chef was pleased to see that “local produce has been revived, people have resumed habits that they lost over the years, cultivating roots and tubers as they did in the past”. He expressed the hope that these ideas will be replicated by others and that future generations will continue to use this strategy, stating that “they are already doing so”.
Sustainability is an unavoidable topic for chefs around the world and the increasing demands of customers have led to a growing demand for authentic and quality products. To discuss the economic importance of the food industry and the industries it impacts, such as agriculture, livestock farming and fishing, Forbes Portugal and O Jornal Económico, in partnership with Turismo de Portugal, TSF and JN, brought together several experts to share their views on the topic in this conference called “Chefs, Economy and Sustainability – A Global Dialogue at the Table”.
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