Ángel Lopez, a 27-year-old chef, being nine in the gastronomic field between coffee shops, restaurants and foodtrucks. In addition, he is a professor of gastronomy and since the pandemic he has held a chair. He likes to teach everything related to pastry: Cheesecake, cake decoration and classic cakes.
Ángel teaching. (Photo: @angelito_cocina)
Mariano Pisani: What do you like most about gastronomy and why?
Angel Lopez: What a good question. It comes from family in my case, my parents met in a pastry shop. Well, it was a thing that as a child I had already been eating many sweet things and for my birthdays my dad always brought good cakes and, at that moment, he started the little taste for pastry. Then, when I finished high school, he asked me what I was going to continue and where to study, which led me to decide whether to study gastronomy or be a physical education teacher. And as you can see here I am.
MP: Have you always liked gastronomy?
AL: Yeah. I love food, I love eating, let's go from there. I would love to eat the world and get to know all kinds of cultures. I had the opportunity to travel to neighboring countries and try their gastronomy and I have come back with recipes from those places that really caught my attention. I want to take advantage of everything I can from this area.
Ángel in one of his first jobs. (Photo: @angelito_cocina)
MP: Do you like to teach?
AL: I like to teach as much as I can, as long as I understand what I'm doing. I was in both hot and cold kitchens, I worked in a restaurant, in cafeterias, pastry shops, a cake dough production factory and foodtrucks. Everywhere I was I was able to contribute everything I knew. Each new person who was left in my charge, and had to explain from scratch what he did, did it with the best vibes which, for me, is the fundamental part when teaching.
MP: What do you recommend to people who start in the world of gastronomy?
AL: It's a path where you have to be clear about what you really want. Something I always say: no matter how long the long-term experience takes, it favors you. Start from the bottom and go climbing on your own merit, if possible! But to grow yourself you have to contribute your own, nothing is ever going to come from above.
MP: Do you think that the sector is slave? Why?
AL: One has the idea of gastronomy as: cooking two or three dishes, a photo and I'm happy and ready, or I make a pancake and that's it. But you really have to see the most difficult side that involves getting up very early days or leaving work in the wee hours of the morning. Also work weekends from 9 to 10 hours, work holidays, father's or mother's days, Christmas or New Year without being able to be with the family. It happened to me to be in those situations but good. In part, the industry is a slave, but also the good work environment helps it not be so heavy. If a good climate is generated, those 10 hours of work are not really felt. There are people who spend more time at work than at home and your colleagues eventually become your second family that is by your side for a day of 8 hours (or more), 6 days a week, where you share everything .
"Find a job you like and you won't have to work a single day of your life" goes the saying.
The chef in one of the tournaments of the International Gastronomic Institute. (Photo: @angelito_cocina)
MP: What would you prefer: pastry, bakery or savory cuisine?
AL: I love to eat everything that is salty food, I love to work with the dough. In this
pandemic what was sourdough bread became very fashionable and that prompted me to
hold a very intense affection for baking, but pastry will always be in my heart.
MP: If you had your own restaurant: What would you call it and who would it be for?
AL: The name is something very pending that I don't know what to call it, but I can tell you that
It would be set in everything that would be the culture of anime, Japan. And in what is a maid cafe, that would be on the one hand. On the other hand, I would also like to have an interactive cafe with pets, for animal lovers that can also incorporate homeless animals for adoption, it is a very pending goal.
MP: What do you think about Michelin stars?
It's hard to get one, but not impossible. The most important thing is to stand out and let them see what you are willing to give to get one. Although here in Latin America, only some countries have the Michelin guide. Argentina does not have one yet, but Michelin stars such as the "Bocuse d'Or" (World Cooking Contest) are awards or distinctions that any chef would like to exhibit in his restaurant.rante.
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