ProfileSpanish chef on cooking his mama’s recipes in Singapore, learning from the Roca brothers, and how he enjoys making tapas in front of guests at 22 Ships

What was your childhood like?

“I’m from Madrid and my parents were very busy raising two boys and a girl. I was the youngest. I was lucky to be exposed to a lot of food products when I was young. I spent most of my school holidays either in my mama’s county, Extremadura, in southwestern Spain, where they have iberico pork, or my father’s county of Burgos in the north, famous for lamb, and close to the Basque country, which has a rich gastronomy culture. On weekends, I hunted with my uncle outside Madrid for rabbit, partridge, venison or wild boar, depending on the season. My uncle’s mother also made goat’s cheese and I would help her make it.

“I grew up eating multi-regional Spanish food, which is reflected in the 22 Ships menu. My mama is from the south, where the food is more humble. But when my mama married my father, she spent a lot of time in northern Spain with my paternal grandmother, who taught her how to cook dishes like gazpacho, migas, pork and stews.”

How did you get into cooking?

“I always helped my mama in the kitchen, so by the time I was 14 years old I was cooking simple dishes, at first hers, then others from TV programmes. But as I grew up, I spent more time in the streets playing with my friends. My father caught me doing some bad things with my friends and punished me by making me work on the weekends at his friend’s restaurant. I was upset because I wanted to be with my friends, but after a few months I realised I really liked the work.

“At first I had to peel and clean 20kg of calamari, wash dishes and stock the storeroom. After a while the chef, Salvadore, who had a background in nouvelle cuisine, taught me the fundamentals of cooking. I worked there for three years until I finished high school. I loved working there so much I couldn’t wait the whole week to go back.”