Netflix show Final Table’s Chef Rafael Gil ‘never planned to do TV’
- Now executive chef at W Hong Kong, Brazilian Rafael Gil had no plans to become famous
- He talks about culture shock in Singapore and raising the level of Spanish cuisine in Hong Kong
What was your childhood like? “My family in Brazil had a supermarket and two pharmacies. When I was 11 years old I started working as a cashier in the supermarket. I helped my father, who did most of the cooking. He made fruit compotes, and comfort food like roasted and grilled meats, and stews.”
How did you get into cooking? “When I was 17 years old I was interested in pursuing cooking, and the first culinary school in Brazil had just opened. But my mother was not sure the school would be good. So I studied business management and worked at the Bank of Brazil and our family business.
“Then in 2006, I went to that culinary school and had an internship at a hotel. I woke up at 5am and worked until 4pm, then went to culinary school until midnight.”
What was your first restaurant job? “At the end of 2007, I finished culinary school and in January I flew to Lasarte [a restaurant in Barcelona], Spain, to work with chef Martín Berasategui. It was hard work, 15 to 16 hours a day. I learned a lot in three months, not only Spanish, but also new cooking techniques.
A TV scout was in Hong Kong and asked if I was interested in doing a cooking show like Hell’s Kitchen and I said no way!
“Then I worked at Evo [also in Barcelona] with the late chef Santi Santamaria, who had a very traditional restaurant. He became known for his criticism of Ferran Adrià’s molecular cuisine at El Bulli. At Evo, I learned the basics and gained a better understanding of Spanish cuisine.”