Samantha Vallejo-Nágera is one of the most recognized faces on television. The chef is part of the select group of MasterChef judges, and she is already an icon in the culinary program. The truth is that the cook has been the protagonist of several controversies throughout her career, due to different statements or gestures of hers. The last one has come during the last few hours, in which she has received a lot of criticism for her statements about the lack of waiters in an interview given to El Mundo.
The hospitality industry has been in the media spotlight in recent months. In Spain, bars and restaurants are a key element in the economy and in the daily lives of citizens. In recent times, there have been several debates around this sector, such as the number of hours worked or the conditions. During key times, such as summer or Christmas, many establishment owners claim that they cannot find waiters to meet the demand, and they allege that the main reason is that many professionals in the sector do not feel like working. Vallejo-Nágera has spoken about this.
“There is a serious bubble, linked to an intense staff problem,” the chef expressed about this problem in an interview for El Mundo. “I think there is passion but little desire to work. Gastronomy is not eight hours a day, working in a restaurant means getting involved in a project, giving your all, being responsible and making work part of your life, it is not going, signing , leave and that’s it. Hospitality is much more than that,” said the judge of the renowned TVE program.
The businesswoman also assured that people who like the hospitality industry and work in it “have to enjoy themselves and not count the hours.” “I don’t want to say that you have to work more than the necessary hours, but you do have to take responsibility, see beyond and that is lacking today. That’s why I think gastronomy is going through that kind of boom-crisis, both” , he declared.
The truth is that Samantha Vallejo-Nágera’s statements have spread like wildfire on social networks, and there are many users who have not been able to avoid giving their opinion on the matter. In fact, many users have harshly criticized the judge of the TVE format. “When you pay well, there is more desire. There is no lack of desire, you need to pay more,” said one Internet user. “There is a desire to have workers, but little to pay them a decent salary,” another user wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The involvement and the work are very good, but let’s see if that involvement also goes in the opposite direction and they give the workers a proportional part of the benefits,” stated another tweeter.
The truth is that this is not the first time that the chef has been the protagonist of a controversy on social networks. A few months ago, Samantha was harshly criticized after publishing a video while she scolded her son Roscón, who has Down syndrome. The television station shared a video where the little boy was crying inconsolably, something that her followers did not like at all and that, later, made her have to come forward to apologize and give explanations.
