For a few years now, Alberto Chicote has become a reference in gastronomy in Spain thanks to his television appearances on programs such as Pesadilla en la cocina.
In this format, the chef from Madrid is dedicated to going to restaurants with problems with the aim of relaunching the business. However, he doesn’t always get it. Sometimes, poor organization, lack of experience or dirt end up taking over.
The chef has attended the Gastro SER radio program in which he has spoken both about his professional activity on television and in the kitchen. Chicote has indicated that he hopes that his program has contributed to promoting changes in the Spanish hospitality industry. “I want to think so… But where it has certainly had an impact is on the client. The people I meet tell me that they have learned a lot. Then each one can attend to their business in one way or another. The worst, normally, It’s not dirt or lack of care, but the lack of motivation. If you fall into laziness, that’s the worst,” he said.
“There are people who appreciate my work and other people who believe that we leave them in a bad place. But it is not my intention. I want to know what condition the restaurant is in, but I have a lot of experience and I know when someone has cleaned the day before. There is people who believe that a kitchen is a naturally dirty space. And it gets very dirty, of course, but it also cleans a lot”, he has argued with resignation.
In addition, Chicote has assured that he enjoys recording the episodes of Nightmare in the kitchen. “It is a program that I like to do, but with moments of tension”, he assured, before adding that “there are things that do not come to light until the necessary conditions are met, but those moments are usually very necessary because they mark a before and after,” he said.
Chicote has also talked about his restaurant, the well-known Omeraki, located in Madrid and specializing in Japanese fusion cuisine. The man from Madrid has explained that his business also receives visits from the Health Inspectors.
“Last time, Omeraki had just opened, one visited the facilities, asked me for a lot of things… And he gave me a couple of tips so that everything is in order,” he recounted. “It caught his attention, for example, that we had an open bottle of mustard without the expiration date. I told him we didn’t put it because that’s something we use up in 2 or 3 days. Now I follow his advice, of course,” has clarified.
Finally, the cook has recognized that he is aware that many people consume his program as if it were humorous. “I discovered this comic sensation because, at the beginning, I always went to see the program in a pub on Príncipe de Vergara street… and I discovered that the worse I had it, the better people had it”, he has sentenced.
