He has titles that many would go out of their way to achieve: he is the creator of the first fine dining restaurant in Córdoba, which was awarded among the best in the country and Latin America, and has just won the Best Chef Awards 2024 in the Two Knives category, which celebrates the work and excellence of chefs. But by listing this, Javier Rodriguez just smile. “None of this keeps me up at night. They are circumstantial things, today you are there and maybe next year you won’t,” he points out. In that sense, he assures that he would never work towards the criterion of an award, and that his focus is the client. “If adjacent things come, great, and if they don’t come, also,” he maintains.
That is also what led him to diversify and not put all his eggs in one basket, becoming a kind of serial entrepreneur. In addition to The Parrothas The Petit Papagayoa specialty coffee shop located right across the street from their flagship project, the boutique hotel Casa PapagayoStandard 69 restaurants, Bakery 69 and Shiok coffee roastery. To achieve all this, he did something that the chefs’ ego does not always allow: he stepped out of the limelight. He built a team and learned to delegate. “This gave me joy and happiness. It was a very conscious decision. I have a son, a wife, friends; “Either I delegate or I don’t move forward or live,” he reasons.
News: Was that your secret for not embodying the idea that “he who covers a lot, squeezes little”?
Javier Rodríguez: Of course, because it happens. Nothing is infinite, when you put something into it, you get it from somewhere else. Energy, time. But it is a decision, and the important thing is that the quality never drops. And when that happens, because it has happened, you have to rethink things. One way is by creating highly committed leaders, because one cannot do everything. In addition to those businesses, I travel a lot, this year I was abroad for almost six months. So while I am the face, it doesn’t have to be something dependent on me. In El Papagayo the boys are more important than me. It is delegating and trusting. Also know that there are going to be mistakes, that you have to accept them and then attack them quickly with good energy.
News: How would you describe the identity of El Papagayo?
Rodriguez: It is a pleasant place to work and to stay when one comes. Because the most powerful thing is the harmony that exists between all its parts: the people who live there and the clients, the design, the food, of course, the music, the service. We do not seek to generate a challenging or philosophical place. I have the opportunity to travel a lot and I go to many very good and recognized places, and although they are admirable for their search, they are not comfortable. They intimidate. And the food is not necessarily delicious. But it is a path and we choose another. At the same time, our audience is almost 100% from Córdoba, so we need them to want to come back, because it is limited. The search is not to bother, but to please. Our style is fine casual, well served and professional, but always with a very casual approach to people.
News: But with the diffusion that the public has had, it must have also come from other places…
Rodriguez: Yes, but very little. Of the 40/50 people covered per day, 32 are from Córdoba. Sometimes they are all from Córdoba, and we love that, because the success of a restaurant is when the local public appropriates it. More so in a case like this, which is very special. And I like it because the people of Córdoba bring their guests from outside as well, as a source of pride for the city.
News: Was it difficult for you to install fine dining in Córdoba?
Rodriguez: No, it was very fast. For some reason, from the first day we were full. In almost 10 years we have had very few bad periods, I think only at the beginning of this year. Córdoba is a city that very much accepts good proposals, which are not abundant. And of all kinds, not just fine dining. So if something is good, people go. The man from Córdoba travels a lot and wants what he sees outside in Córdoba too.
News: How often does the menu change?
Rodriguez: Every day at least a little. We need to do that so people try different things and come back. We also make big structural changes, now we have made a new mezzanine. Although we have one dish that we can’t take out: an egg that is a tribute to a great French chef.
News: Would you say that Córdoba has the possibility of being another place in the Michelin guide?
Rodriguez: I don’t know what the criteria are, but there are very reasonable places. It’s also good not to be… That makes you different. We were never there and it has gone well for us. What I would not like is for the guide to force us to try to look elsewhere. For example, I would never stop playing music, which is something very important to us. In fact, our worst enemy is people’s expectations. The vocation and intention to improve is always there, but it is never focused on a prize, only on what we consider to be the best. I do like playing loud music, but I don’t like the guide, and well, we won’t have a star. It has already happened to us with other guides, where they have made suggestions for criteria that we didn’t think were right. We only take it if it represents an improvement for us. We do not apply anything that alters our identity.
News: Would you consider opening a store in Buenos Aires?
Rodriguez: No. I think Buenos Aires is one of those cities where there is a very good level, and it is a place where you have to be physically no matter what. It’s a challenge that I don’t need today. I would prefer to open in other places, like Mendoza, for example. And outside Argentina too. Now we are opening in Asunción and also looking at options in the United States. But we never replicated El Papagayo, but simpler things.
News: You opened El Papagayo almost 10 years ago, what was the previous path like?
Rodriguez: I worked for several years outside of Argentina and I have the virtue of being a very hard worker, a good employee and very observant. I worked mainly in fine dining places, but also in cafes, places that allowed me to learn about volume. I consider that working is learning. I have been and continue to be very curious and very hardworking, I have a huge library of books that I read and reread all the time. And I had the opportunity to travel a lot from a very young age and try a lot of food and see a lot of things. My wife travels with me, she is the architect and my partner, and we are always looking at details of service and how the places work operationally. That gave me the idea for 15 years of what my restaurant should be, until one day I finally opened it. And then it’s about listening to the client, paying attention to detail and being humble. Being able to make the changes that are needed. If not, you run the risk of becoming a martyr of gastronomy, because you are going to melt down. Adaptability and quick reaction are one of the most important requirements. During the pandemic, for example, we made empanadas and locro and that’s how we managed to survive with El Papagayo. Nobody’s underwear fell off because of that…
News: Do you follow trends?
Rodriguez: No, I’m anti-fashion. My style is timeless, El Papagayo is more classic. But there are some things we do pay attention to: we know that people are asking for better wines, or we change the uniform according to the current style after certain years. That’s where adaptation goes.
News: What do you like to eat?
Rodriguez: The simplest food. When I travel, if I have 10 meals to make, I choose one from fine dining and the other nine from simpler things. I’m crazy about good pasta, not stuffed. A roast from time to time, Milanese, that I can always eat. I really like vegetables, salads, grilled vegetables. Simple and tasty food, and lately not so heavy too.
News: What is it like working with your wife?
Rodriguez: It’s challenging as a couple. We are working and talking about business all day. She goes for the aesthetic and I go for the functional, but we share many points in common. We understand each other very well, but many times the business talk never ends. So we made it a rule not to talk about work at family dinner.
News: Do you mind giving space to women in the kitchen?
Rodriguez: All my leaders in all areas are women. It’s something that happened by chance, but that’s how it turned out. They have earned their position regardless of gender and are treated the same as a man. I feel very comfortable working with women, they have a different level of detail and commitment. They also tend to be more mature.
News: And what do you ask for in 2025?
Rodriguez: Stay in Argentina longer, travel less. Be more in El Papagayo and work a lot in the other places that I have open, to stabilize them. We are also working on a book with the Catapulta publishing house and I would like to be able to finish it. I have peace, but I would like to find a little more. Prizes add pressure that is not sought, and it has an impact. Also, next year I am very excited because in May we celebrate 10 years with El Papagayo. And I think the best of all is that we are still just as motivated as the first day.
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