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Born in a mountain town called Barx, Ricard Camarena first began to get noticed in the world of haute cuisine with Arrop in Gandia. Today, based in Valencia, he is one of the leading figures of Spanish fine-dining, known and celebrated even outside the country's borders. Not only with the restaurant that bears his name - with its two Michelin stars and a green star for sustainability - but with a whole series of different brands that have enlivened the Valencian gastronomic panorama more than ever.
On 16 October 2022, Camarena took part in S.Pellegrino Sapori Ticino, the internationally renowned Swiss fine-dining series, conceived by Dany Stauffacher. The theme of this edition of the event was 'España ahora' (Spain now), and so Camarena arrived in Lugano with a team of fourteen to support chef Dario Ranza at the Ciani restaurant, an authentic institution on the Ticino restaurant scene.
Fine Dining Lovers met him on the occasion, and asked about his story and his idea of cooking.
You were born and raised in Barx, not far from Valencia, the city where you later settled to open your restaurant. How much of this territory can you find in your dishes?
My origins and my territory can be found in my dishes. Typical ingredients, ancient recipes and their flavours have always influenced me. Naturally, when I began to see the limits of my small town, I headed towards the largest city in the area where I was, the one that, at that age, seemed to me the place capable of providing me with great opportunities: Gandia. Subsequently, Valencia would have been a choice born from a similar reflection.
What remains most from that period?
I have certainly grown professionally. As I said, Gandia is still part of a territory that is familiar to me. Working there therefore meant being familiar with the typical recipes, local products. What is left of me? Certainly, the experience of my Arrop restaurant gave me so many gastronomic satisfactions, including a Michelin star.
When did you finally settle in Valencia?
Fourteen years ago. Initially, all I did was transfer Arrop from Gandia - which has fewer than 75,000 inhabitants - to Valencia, which has nearly 800,000. It was a necessary challenge: my will was to grow, and therefore the natural direction became to move to a larger city, with a wider and more varied audience to deal with. The restaurant was located in a beautiful hotel, it was large and luxurious.
What prompted you to change and open the Ricard Camarena Restaurant?
Working in that reality was a great privilege. But, in such an important context, I was beginning to notice some limits: the structure and the restaurant kept me busy, under different aspects, from the rhythms, to the requests. This did not allow me to be completely free from a creative point of view, it did not allow me to grow further. So I took an important first step: I left the hotel and opened the restaurant in a much smaller version, with only twenty seats, and with my name on the sign. It was 2012. I can consider the period between 2012 and 2016 the one in which I had the opportunity to grow more, focusing only and exclusively on my kitchen. It is no coincidence that in those years I gave birth to other restaurants in Valencia.
In addition to the two stars, the Michelin guide has also recognised your restaurant for its approach to sustainability. What does this term mean to you?
I interpret the concept of sustainability as 360 degrees. This term often refers to the product, of course, but for me, it is an aspect that must concern the entire supply chain: manufacturer, supplier, team, customer, and creativity. It is a job that concerns everyone. What is the point of being maniacally attentive to recycling, or to the issue of no waste, if we then treat our staff badly or do not sufficiently pay those who supply us with the raw materials? What is the point of talking about creative work if the kitchen staff work too hard and are always tired? Everything has to go at the same pace. Fast, at the best of your abilities, but together.
Exactly ten years have passed since your arrival in Valencia in 2012. How has the city and Spanish food scene changed in general?
Certainly, these have been years of great turmoil. Many in the restaurant industry were inspired by El Bulli. Once that experience was over, they all found themselves disorientated. Those who really wanted to do this job had to go through a few years of 'repositioning'. In recent years, the thing that interests me most about Valencia, and Spain in general, is that the kitchen today offers many different points of view, so the customer has the opportunity to deal, not with a culinary philosophy, but with a hundred different approaches to cooking.
You were a guest of the Ciani restaurant in Lugano. How did you manage to bring some of the atmosphere of your restaurant to Switzerland?
I brought most of my brigade with me, and this was certainly a great help, both in terms of the kitchen and the dining room. I have created a rather large menu, made up half of the dishes that have been the most successful in the restaurant over the years, and the other half of recipes currently on the menu. In every course, there is no shortage of fish and meat - the vegetable component is always fundamental for me.
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