Last week, while basking in the Spanish sun at The Barcelona Edition, Lucas Raven caught up with one of the celebrated chefs of our generation, Sebastian Mazzola, and asked him a few questions:
What inspires you every day?
I get inspired by many different things. Spending time in my terrace taking care of the many plants and herbs I have there, gives me time to think and get inspired. I also get inspired by listening to music and from dreams while sleeping.
What are the signature dishes that you’ve created at The Barcelona EDITION’s Cabaret, Bar Veraz and The Roof?
At the Roof you can try the best fried yuca, grilled bao filled with lamb cooked Mexican barbacoa style or lettuce taco with marinated Mediterranean tuna, avocado, wasabi and crispy quinoa.
Bar Veraz is the place where you can find something delicious to eat at any time of the day, a really great a la carte breakfast, and a wide offer of tapas during the day showcasing the best seasonal market ingredients.
In Cabaret we just lunched our summer season menu, inspired by the cities where Cabaret originated.
You can find a great version of a steak tartar with smoked cream & truffled egg yolk, a shellfish plater that includes; lobster tail with hollandaise and caviar, oysters, mussels & Mediterranean red prawns. The menu also includes a grilled dry aged rib-eye for two with pont neuf potatoes and bearnaise sauce.
Where did you begin your culinary journey?
It started in Buenos Aires in 2001; in an Italian restaurant with over 100 years of history, La Cantina de Pierino.
If your menu was a story book, what kind of story would it be telling?
I guess it would be like one of those books where you can choose your own adventure.
What’s your personal favourite dish on the menu?
It ́s always difficult for me to pick a favourite dish. It very much depends on the day and my mood. Now as the weather is getting very warm here in Barcelona, I like the lighter dishes a lot.
At the Roof the Ceviche tosta with roasted pineapple and rocoto chili.
In Cabaret the Amberjack carpaccio with touches of niçoise salad and clarified gazpacho juice.
In Bar Veraz I have a sweet spot for the Kefir Fried Chicken with homemade pickles, sour cream and harissa which can be found on our weekend brunch menu.
Has cooking always been your passion?
I’m 35 and I’ve been cooking since I was 17, so I can say cooking has been my passion for most of my life.
Please share your top tips for any aspiring chefs:
Survive the first 5 years, it only gets better after that.
What’s your favorite part of The Barcelona EDITION?
The variety of possibilities in a single hotel.
Describe Barcelona in one word:
Home.
