Those of us who knew him when he was a student at the Gato Dumas College of Cooks—“a good disciple, but not outstanding,” they said—and then had him under the radar, since his intrepid trip to Paris—without knowing the language—and breaking our hearts for doing stages with the best chefs in France, we coined at least one certainty: talent and tenacity were the two basic ingredients of his creative intelligence. Starred with three Michelin stars for his Mirazur restaurant in the Mediterranean port of Menton, on the Côte d’Azur, a few kilometers from the border with Italy, and also chosen as the third best in the world (according to the British 50 Best list), Mauro Colagreco He is, without a doubt, the only Argentine to achieve this feat. With several restaurants installed around the world—three of them already have a Michelin star—it turns out that the sum is simple and the result is six. A half-dozen stars shine on this chef from La Plata who, rarely, maintains the same low profile as when he began.
News: Married and with children.
Mauro Colagreco: Nobody is perfect! (laughs). My wife was born in the south of Brazil, but she lived in Rio all her life, she is from Rio at heart. I met Julia (40) in France while she was doing a master’s degree in Political Science in Toulouse. We meet at an event; She worked for a beverage company and I worked with my gastronomy. We have two beautiful children, Luca (14) and Valentín (10).
News: Are your boys super French?
Colagreco: Yes and no. Because they are also very Argentine and have their Brazilian side. They are super international! They speak five languages and they do it perfectly. Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and English. Impossible to bring the family this time. I came for 72 hours following the Prix Cuisine Baron B where I was a judge.
News: Do you have family left in La Plata?
Colagreco: Yes. Two of my three sisters with their respective families and my father. Dad is 84, he has the beginnings of Alzheimer’s. And mom passed away in August 2020, during the pandemic, and it was difficult… I couldn’t come see her.
News: When he started his European internship, he worked with three great chefs. Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard and Alain Ducasse. Loiseau committed suicide in 2003 because he felt threatened by the loss of one of the three Michelin stars his restaurant had. The version has its weight. There is a text by the critic Francois Simon, published in the weekly l Express, that makes it explicit. What was the impact he felt with this sad episode for everyone, but especially for the gastronomic community and obviously for you?
Colagreco: It was terrible. I worked with him from early 2001 to early 2003. Two years… I left and soon he committed suicide. It was very strong for me, but it was also a very formative experience, in the sense of understanding that success is totally relative. He was at his highest level and for fear of losing that star he killed himself. Although I think there might be many more things behind that…
News: But the shotgun hit him…
Colagreco: Clear. That’s why when they tell me, well, now with so many stars and recognitions, you’re at the top… I take it as part of my job. I work not to obtain awards, it is not my objective. In any case, with the awards the fruit of my work is valued. That strong episode helped me not fall into that pressure…
News: And how did he manage not only to speak good French, but to be accepted in French gastronomy?
Colagreco: At first it was not easy. Achieving the consideration of those who are the proud bastion of their gastronomy, and rightly so, was difficult. They are chauvinists of their cuisine, they protect it a lot and do not make the path easy for a foreigner. And I was a 23-year-old Argentine at that time…
News: What a magnificent destiny the Universe had designed for him!
Colagreco: I believe a lot in this that there are things that are marked; I think that someone puts them there on our path… of course they are choices, but those same choices are also marked paths. I see that there are things I did that were not by chance. They were not coincidences… I think I was quite the architect of my own destiny, as Amado Nervo says.
News: How many restaurants are under your orbit and what are they called?
Colagreco: In addition to Mirazur, I have Grandcoeur in Paris, BFire – the B is for the Barrier hotel group – in the city of Courchevel, in the French Alps, Le Majestic BFire in Cannes, Azur in Beijing, Floris at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach, in Florida, USA and another that is in the Jockey Club of Saint Moritz, in Switzerland called Jockey Club by Mauro Colagreco, with one star. In Bangkok we have Cote, with one star, and near Mirazur we have Casa Fuego, which is a grill and another called Ceto, only with seafood and with one star, which is in a very nice hotel, in Roquebrune-Cap -Martin.
News: How do you manage them all?
Colagreco: There is equipment. It’s the key. I have learned to delegate and the truth is that it is an exercise, especially when one is so demanding of oneself. Delegating to others is not easy, it has been quite a journey. But it’s the secret. If not, it would explode. I have faithful and capable collaborators.
News: What does it mean to be the First Chef Ambassador of UNESCO, for your environmental awareness, your holistic and circular vision of gastronomy?
Colagreco: It is a title, a 2-year mandate, incredible to me, the result of our work and our vision. It is one of the most beautiful recognitions where we can leave a legacy. We are working on an incredible project with UNESCO regarding diversity in all protected biospheres in the world, which represent 5% of the planet. And there are 150 million of us who live in those places!
News: Is the food running out?
Colagreco: No, it’s not over. It’s thrown away! One third of the world’s food production ends up in the trash… The concept of circular economy applied to gastronomy takes waste into account. Before, you cut the center of a fish and threw away the head and tail. You served the loin and the rest in the trash or for the cat. Circular gastronomy takes into account how the product is made, whether or not it respects the earth. For me the secret is to conserve the land, not allowing the erosion caused by the monoculture agricultural industry or the use of pesticides and fertilizers that liquidate the soil. It is important that in gastronomy we take into account how these products arrive at the restaurant, without plastic… which is already in the sea and in our blood. I think this is the general concept of the circular kitchen. It is the first time in the history of UNESCO that they have given this position to a cook.
News: Prepares the opening of a new restaurant in London, The OWO Raffles hotel…
Colagreco: Yes, it is from the Raffles hotel chain and it is a pharaonic project, in an emblematic building. Because it was the headquarters of the British Intelligence Service during World War II. Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, had his offices there. The acronym OWO is O for Old, W for War, war and O for Offices; It is Spanish, Old War Offices. King Charles III will attend the inauguration on September 26.
News: Regarding this hotel and the fact that you are also Vice President of Relais Chateau, you mentioned the importance of reconceptualizing the idea of luxury, as a new luxury. What is the idea?
Colagreco: Places are made by people. And today people with money have access to everything. Can money buy everything? I think not, that there are things that go beyond the consumption of expensive things. Luxury today is eating well, of course, but for it to be a unique, special experience, you have to share it with others, your family, your friends, your affections. In a world with artificial intelligence where you can ask for a love letter to be made, you have to show signs of humanity. For me, human connections are the new luxury. And they are not bought.
News: This is a question that a gastronomy student asked me to ask. And when did he realize that he was Mauro Colagreco, who had achieved it?
Colagreco: (Smiles, squints) No. One continues to doubt what one does… good or bad and doubts. Until you start to feel confident in yourself, it is a process. And until one does something transcendental in life, one will always continue looking for the best, to leave a legacy. I have children, wrote two books and planted some trees. Almost mission accomplished. But almost.
