We were lucky to catch up with Juliana Aguiar recently and have shared our conversation below.
Juliana , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
In my industry there is a very strong military and hierarchical system. And I would say, even important from the point of view of organization and functionality.
But I was never very comfortable with it.
Because throughout my career I have seen how this system often results in a toxic and superlatively competitive environment,
creating insecurities and low self esteem and lack of confidence among the team. For example,
I always thought it was unnecessary for other members of the team I worked with to call me Chef at the end of every sentence or statement.
I believe in equality between people and in treating them with respect.When I started working with creativity. On my second experience in the USA.
One day my employer suggested I should work with a friend of his who is also a chef.
At first it didn’t sit well with me. I thought he didn’t trust me to do the job. I didn’t understand what he wanted with that.
I went to sleep for a couple of days with an upset stomach, wanting to throw it up somewhere.
But I quickly managed to digest. And from then on it was wonderful. Everything changed.
Through compassion and acceptance, I managed to understand that two heads are better than one.
And I had a 3-month immersive experience, all focused on creativity with an intense exchange and very important learning.
I learned that in order to have a creative and authentic work, it is not necessary for me to sign it myself.
That collaboration between two or more people is mostly welcome.
And more than that, when I manage to get everyone involved in the project to co-create the work, it becomes more cohesive and solid.
And that makes my work much more authorial.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I was born in Brazil in 1974. I went to a hotel boarding school in Switzerland. Back in Brazil, I studied cinema at college. During a tourist trip to Madrid, Spain, I fell in love with the culture and the people and decided to live there and to become a cook. Working in different restaurants and catering. Back to Brazil for 4 years I became the head chef of “Atelie Culinario”, a chain of nice local cafes and delis. During my tenure I was managing 7 stores and the catering service. Doing a very hard quality control and also training the staff. In 2008 I decided to learn with Michelin stars Chefs and left Brazil back to Spain. For that reason I moved to San Sebastian, Basque Country. There I spent 2 years working with names such as Andoni Luis Aduriz and Martin Berasategui. After this incredible experience, I decided to go back to Madrid and open my own business. In 2011I opened “Santo Restaurante & Deli” where I worked until the end of 2015. Today I am a creative chef and a consultant on design and implementation of disruptive concepts for the hospitality industry.
I work in different countries trying to bring the desired business concept closer to local needs and circumstances.
What’s amazing about this job is the fact that I’m constantly taking myself out of my comfort zone and
putting myself in circumstances where I have to quickly and sensitively detect the culture x local consumption and adapt to the interests of the business.
It’s very challenging.
In the last year I have been working and researching for a unique product to launch in the South of the US market.
But I still can’t give many details, it’s a closely guarded secret.
I hope to be able to share it with you soon.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the 3 qualities that have a lot of impact on my journey are, 1- the power of improvisation. I think I was born with that,
it’s innate to the Brazilian people who have always had to improvise to adapt to the lack of resources and thus be able to achieve the desired results.
2- A refined aesthetic sense, which I developed since the beginning of my studies when I studied cinema in college.
I believe that my work is closely related to this sense. Not only in the design and conception of my dishes but also in the concept of a project as a whole.
3- Curiosity and the maintenance of it. I never lost my curiosity for the new, for the other.
I always say that it is very important to be open to the new.
Getting to know new cultures and peoples, tasting flavors and recipes is one of the most important things for my job.I have two advices for those just starting out.
1- is that each one’s journey is unique and all learning counts and adds up to their story. It doesn’t matter how many times you change directions and what your interests are.
Up front you will understand that everything is part of a whole and fits your path.
2- More specific for cooks or chefs. More important than studying a career as a chef is eating, and tasting everything.
Never turn down the possibility of trying something new.
Only then will you have a refined palate to decode what your client wants.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
I think there are two challenges that are always on my highlights. The first one is to achieve, in a short period of time, a healthy and collaborative environment in the kitchens where I circulate.
It is necessary and urgent to understand that everyone is part of a big gear and we do have different responsibilities, and even
a great commitment to the project. And that in hospitality you don’t do anything alone. Because yes we do work with food. But first we work with and for people.
And the second is that in this industry there is the belief that creative chefs have whenever they use outlandish techniques and many ingredients and flavors in the same dish.
I respect those who believe in this but I think being able to highlight the great flavor of each raw material and making simplicity something extraordinary is my true mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: web chef juliana aguiar
- Instagram: chef_julianaaguiar
- Linkedin: juliana aguiar
Image Credits
Kike Amores
