"I am absolutely sure that the new generations can achieve another new style of cooking."

Azucena Mabel Risso Patrón, 42, is a chef born in the city of Salta, Argentina. His roots in cooking come from his grandmothers, one Sicilian and the other Coya, a perfect cultural combination for gastronomy. His knowledge and love for cooking were obtained thanks to his mother, with whom he had a gastronomic establishment (along with his father), which he left to train at a professional level. He studied at the IGI (International Gastronomic Institute), first for a Gastronomic Professional, and then the Master, where due to fate, he ended up as a teacher. It took her a lot to get to where she is now "since the world of gastronomy is very rude, full of ego and a bit macho, but also full of satisfaction, joy and people who help you grow." He currently has his own business.

Mabel in her culinary presentations as a teacher.

Mariano Pisani: For you, what is the best of gastronomy? Why?

Mabel Risso: The best thing about gastronomy is that you learn to value food, raw materials, aromas, textures, flavors, and your senses open up. You never stop learning and that is beautiful.

MP: In the field of cooking, they talk about having to be demanding with everything, do you agree?

MR: I agree with the requirement in terms of cleanliness, order and time. The demand makes you get the best out of each one. There are Chefs who reach extreme levels, where they practically terrify their cooks. No, I don't agree with that. You can bring out the best by demanding and encouraging.

MP: How much can a Michelin star or a Bocuse d'Or influence a restaurant? And for a chef?

MR: How influential can these prizes be? At the restaurant level, in prestige, demonstrating to the world the quality of your inputs, preparation, attention, the delicacy in your dishes. On a personal level, the greatest of pride, you are part of excellence in the kitchen and the world recognizes it. The glory itself!

Her passion for gastronomy and dishes.

MP: What do you feel when cooking?

MR: What a question! I feel peace, joy, adrenaline and, if it is for a loved one, even more. There I feel that love falls from my fingers and reaches the food. That, love, is an ingredient that should never be missing.

MP: What is your favorite thing about teaching?

MR: When teaching, I love the faces of the students, paying attention (or at least it seems so), teaching the different cutting, cooking, and plating techniques, seeing when they use them. I have come across people who knew absolutely nothing about cooking and, at the end of the degree, they surprised me, surpassing those who said they were clear about it. I am a demanding teacher and I put all my effort into ensuring that my students leave my kitchen well-trained and disciplined. In the kitchen, throughout the students' careers, I meet spectacular people, I really become attached to them and it's hard for me to let them go. That feeling that they are ready and leaving me, to go out into the gastronomic world, is a mixture of pride and nostalgia.

MP: Do you think that the new generations can achieve another new style of cooking?

MR: Yes, I believe so, I am absolutely sure, gastronomy is evolving. There is always something new to learn.

Plating is one of the essential things in the kitchen and Mabel demonstrates it in this photo.

MP: Do films about gastronomy show what it is like to be inside? For example: Ratatouille, A Journey of 10 Meters or The Menu.

MR: Food films, like the ones you mentioned before, somehow reflect something of what really happens in the kitchen. In a real kitchen other types of things happen, such as a lack of staff, and the cook goes to the sink or vice versa, that the raw material is not so optimal and you have to disguise it as it is, and more things that I am not going to say, because they are not going to eat out anymore. Eye, not everywhere, but the vast majority. What these three films have in common is that they reflect the love that a cook/chef feels when preparing their dishes. For example; in "The menu" a simple hamburger, in "A trip of 10 meters" an omelette and, in "Ratatullie", a dish with that name. All three are simple, but each one leads to a memory or situation. Food is a trip to the most beautiful sensations.

MP: What is the most important thing when it comes to cooking?

MR: The most important thing when it comes to cooking is order, cleanliness, the responsibility of knowing that you are producing food, being agile and being able to quickly solve any inconvenience that may arise. Also be creative and, above all, do it with love.