If you are tuned in to news and gastronomic events around the country and the world, you have certainly heard this name: Rubens Salfer or Rubens “Catherine” for the intimate and chef fans in the media.
Despite having recently “bursted” on the networks and his young age, 34 years old, his curriculum is enviable and this boom of “being everywhere” is not new, but is only exposed today; since until just over a year ago he was averse to social networks.
iconic right arm Alex Atala Rubens is the Executive Chef at Grupo DOM , determined Aryan, likes to escape the conventional. Whether in the recipes, where he masterfully mixes ribs in a milk pudding or mint candy in an exquisite dish with oxtail and yams, or in his relationship with gastronomy that did not start with the classic “my grandmother taught me how to cook on Sundays”.
He learned to deal with pots in his teens, when he traveled with friends and was responsible for feeding the group. From these trips came his hot dog with homemade chili sauce that gained fame beyond his circle of friends. As he says, things “were happening and when I realized I was commanding snack pots at events around the city”.
Since then, his life has completely changed. She entered culinary school in Santa Catarina, her home state and where her affectionate nickname comes from, but quickly landed an internship in Portugal at the restaurant at the 5-star hotel Vila Vita Parc; that was just the push for a long season in Europe.
Worked in the kitchen Michel Guérard owner of 3 Michelin stars, in France, but it was on a visit to arzak also 3 Michelin stars, in Spain, that your heart beat faster.
He left with one goal: to work alongside the chef Juan Mari Arzak . A feat accomplished in 2010, when he got his dream job. He remained as the house cook until 2013 and, in between, specialized in Restaurant Management and Administration at the prestigious Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián.
In 2013, before returning to his country of origin, he made it his goal to visit all the 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurants in Spain. I wanted to have more references and, again, the feat was accomplished.
Endless experiences and a diploma in his bag, he arrived in Brazil in 2014 and soon began his internship at DOM, home to a Michelin star and ranked 33rd on the renowned list 50 Best Restaurants Latin America 2022.
In addition to being one of the names at the head of the renowned group from São Paulo, Rubens gives lectures around the world and teaches at the Escola de Gestão em Negócios da Gastronomia, where he likes to say that he teaches much more than managing the establishment, but that “Being a chef is passing on knowledge, leading, helping employees to grow and develop more and more. Being a chef goes far beyond creating good recipes.” .
CNN V&G: What is the role of the executive chef ? What is your role within the DOM Group?
Catherine: I hear this question a lot! But, in short, the executive chef is the one who takes care of the bureaucratic part of the thing. For the group to work, some Excel spreadsheets, cost surveys, menu preparation, planning, events, creation part and everything that permeates the group’s restaurants and brands are needed. And most importantly, take care of the human part. Although it’s very difficult to get everyone motivated, it’s making the wheel spin without forgetting to look at the employees.
CNN V&G: What are the delights and pains of being at the head of a group with as much weight in Brazilian and world gastronomy as DOM?
Honestly, it’s the same pains as being in charge of any other operation. Like virtually the entire market, we suffer from labor , we are still “paying the bills” of the pandemic, we try daily to understand the customer, the new ways of eating and what the trends are. On the other hand, I constantly learn in a group that is a reference and I have the freedom to organize my events, teach classes, travel and meet incredible people.
CNN V&G: Have you ever cooked in 39 countries in 5 continents . What are the main differences between foreign kitchens and ours? What is missing in the Brazilian gastronomic sector ?
As a general rule, cooking in another country, state or city makes us understand the culture of that place. The products, the way of making, serving and even eating are trademarks of each place. Impossible to travel/ cook to another place and not come back with something more knowledge in your luggage.
The main difficulty in the gastronomy sector in Brazil and in the world is the workforce. Our relationship with time x gain x work has been changing for many years, the pandemic was just a catalyst for this. Saying what the industry lacks is difficult, but for years we’ve promoted people for being good cooks. However, when a person becomes a “chef” (just one position within their career), they need many other skills, such as knowing how to set up a time off worksheet, taking care of overtime, having an idea for purchases, motivating, being an example, all this is not said and is rarely taught or talked about among professionals.
We have to try, however difficult and arduous it may be, to teach professionals and, of course, offer good working conditions in a sector that is not always like that. I believe that this is already a big step for the Brazilian market to take big steps forward.
CNN V&G: What are your main sources of inspiration? How is a dish as different as its famous rib pudding, for example, born?
The pudding was a joke in the 10 years of the Osso restaurant. I decided that I should throw myself into the theme of the house – which is meat – and I took the risk of creating a dessert. The reference was clear. After that, from the idea in my head, tests and more tests. I like to involve the team in this step, so that they also create references. And after tasting some “gororobas”, the thing went and a dish came out that was marked.
When I started in the kitchen, I made a point of drawing the dishes I imagined or assembled, writing what they were on the side, detailing the ingredients, the flavors…. In addition, I sought and still seek references. Travelling, reading, being curious, trying everything, getting to know markets, street food and starred restaurants. Everything is luggage, everything helps when creating a dish.
When I moved to Europe, at the very beginning of my career, I took pictures of absolutely every restaurant I visited and kept the menus. In fact, I still do it a lot!
CNN V&G: You live next to the main and most awarded chefs in the world. What is a great lesson that any of them have taught you?
Wow, I could spend days talking…. I learned a lot and I still learn with many chefs here and abroad. Many taught me personally and warmly, others in the strength of hate, others with examples, some making mistakes and several others through books. However, I recently took a class in empathy and professionalism with Ricard Camarena a 2-star Michelin chef in Valencia, Spain.
Alex Atala went to cook with him and I accompanied him on the trip. On the day of the event, during a relaxed conversation at lunch, he made it clear how much he bets on, supports and helps the cooks around him and I proved it in practice.
At the time of the briefing (meeting of the whole team that always takes place before the event), the chef said what he expected from each one and calmed the whole team down with a few words. In short, the tension that everyone was experiencing in carrying out a completely new service was melting away, the atmosphere in the kitchen was great, everything flowed with a lot of attention and focus, but without shouting or any other type of stress. This just proves once again how fundamental the people in our profession are and that good example remains the best way to lead.
CNN V&G: In your lectures you always talk about “not failing to see the world through the eyes of a child”. What does that mean?
This came from my main reference, Arzak. Juan Mari, always said: “do not stop looking at the world with the eyes of a child”. Because a child has no “preconceptions”. You don’t know what you should or shouldn’t eat, you dare, have fun with little, feel genuine joy in the simplest things in life. I still apply this in my life today, making this daring and creativity come out in a rib pudding, for example. Because when we experience this, things stop having so many limits.
CNN V&G: Many times you are the representative of Alex Atala around the world. How do you deal with this “weight of being a representative” of one of the main names in Brazilian gastronomy?
I don’t think I actually represent Alex Atala. After these years of career, today, I am part of the DOM Group, which is Alex’s. The DOM is going to complete 25 years, honestly, I don’t consider it just a restaurant. After these years I already think it is an institution. So, I’m happy to be in there and carry the name of this place through events and lectures. But Alex did a lot for gastronomy, he doesn’t need representatives. Maybe one day I’ll be “on the same shelf as him”.
CNN V&G: Much is said about the end of “fine dining”. What is your opinion about this?
I find it super difficult to put a label on any type of meal or food. But, if it is the case of the “tasting menu”, I have to say that it is a privilege to eat a tasting menu. For there, the act of eating changes to an act of “pleasure in eating”.
What I believe is that few houses will keep the giant menus, which take 3 or 4 hours to eat. Read: few will stay, but I don’t think it will end. However, we will seek out these houses for special dates, perhaps once or twice a year.
I like to think that the menu is like a movie. Has anyone watched “The Irishman” (3hr 29min Netflix movie) without touching their phone, getting up or receiving any “interference” from the outside world? Difficultly. The same, I believe, happens in the tasting menu. We are connected, watching the news, waiting for the message or the “like”, making the post, many people even say that Instagram eats first. This makes things drag and distractions happen in the middle of the menu. Changed the profile, but finish the fine dining I think it’s impossible.
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
