Exploring Jamaica’s Rastafarian religion turned Spanish chef Raul Tronco Calahorra onto vegetarianism
- Raul Tronco Calahorra is head chef of vegetarian restaurant Komune, at Ovolo Southside
- After trying a Rastafarian diet, he adopted a healthier lifestyle and his next goal is to go vegan
What are your earliest memories of food? “My father taught me to have passion and dedication in cooking, and to look for the best flavour. He is from northern Spain, where the flavours are stronger and spicier; lots of soups and stews to keep you warm in the winter.
“The first thing I made was fried eggs when I was six years old. My father told me the oil in the pan had to be hot to get the crispy edge around the egg. It was scary to crack open the eggs over the hot oil, but at the same time it was exciting. I failed the first time and sometimes I got burned, but it’s a process.”
What was your first day working in a restaurant like? “I went to culinary school, where I learned the proper way to make sauces, how to cut, but when I faced my first service as a professional, I realised there were a lot of things I still needed to learn. In school there is no timing, but when you are a professional you have to do things fast. It’s exciting.
“For my first job I worked at a restaurant owned by the brother of one of my instructors. On the first day I picked up a pan from the oven that was 250 degrees without a towel. The chef told me, ‘Why did you stop working? Come on!’ I said, ‘I just burned my hand.’ ‘OK, put your hand under cold water for five minutes and come on! We are busy!’ Life is tough when you finish school with one of the highest grades and then realise you know nothing. You need to slow down and learn step by step.”
What was it like to work with chef Mario Sandoval of Coque in Madrid? “He taught me a lot early in my career [2006-07], mostly consistency and discipline. Whatever problems you have in the kitchen, it’s not the customer’s fault.