Spanish chef Josean Alija: ‘I don’t know any work where you make people happier’
The one-time El Bulli chef, who now runs Michelin-starred Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao and was in Hong Kong as guest chef at Ta Vie, recalls a road accident that was his wake-up call
When did you know you wanted to be a chef? “When I finished elementary school, my father asked what I wanted to study to be and I replied a chef. He was surprised. At home, I saw how important it was when my mum and grandma cooked for the family. I understood this means hard work, that there is more than one person in the kitchen working to make guests happy.
“I don’t know any work where you make people happier. The way I feel about it now is the same as when I was 14 years old. My parents accepted my decision and I went to culinary school. The first steps were very hard. I was lucky to meet people who helped me have confidence in myself.”
What did you gain from working for one of the world’s best chefs, Ferran Adrià, at elBulli? “Good memories. After 20 years, we have a very good relationship; he’s very special to me. Ferran is no different from other chefs – they are all generous. Working for him was an experience that made me think and reflect because it was about the work he asked of you, and the physical energy you gave back.
“When you are the chef, you need to make your own cooking style that makes you happy or happier every day. When I finished at elBulli after one season in 1997, I was a chef in a restaurant, starting my professional career. The things I learned at elBulli I made my own.
“Ferran showed me how to think, to not be scared, to work hard, fight and be happy cooking. At that time, he wasn’t as famous; he was building what people know now.”