There has been a recent surge of public fascination for the world of gastronomy. The internet is rife with captions of “yes, chef” from the recent hit show, The Bear; last year, Ralph Fiennes tortured his restaurant staff and guests as a crazed chef in The Menu; and BBC is now transforming its anxiety inducing, one-shot restaurant film, Boiling Point, into an upcoming TV show. Even just a few years ago, an apron clad Bradley Cooper was chopping onions and howling at kitchen staff in Burnt. So, what does a globally famous chef from Spain think about this sudden kitchen craze?
“It used to be like this – crazy, aggressive – but driving your staff crazy does not equal good food,” says the mohawk-donning David Muñoz, aka Chef Dabiz. “Happy staff, happy food. Plain and simple.”
Bringing his culinary talents to Dubai, Esquire Middle East sits down with the Spanish craftsman to talk creativity, chicken and waffles, and why work-life balance is essential to a functioning restaurant.
Chef Dabiz: During Covid, our restaurant closed, so we resorted to food trucks in Madrid, before traveling all over Spain, and it was very successful. Our first choice of food was hotdogs, but a very creative version, unlike any other hotdogs. Then hamburgers. And now, what we are working on for our next release is the American classic, chicken and waffles.
Esquire: Chicken and waffles is an American classic, but it is certainly not everyone. Why does that combination work? To the uninitiated, it does sound a bit suspicious.
CD: I don’t know why it works. It just does. The combination of flavours is just incredible. Ours will be made with coconut milk, making it fluffier, but still keeping the classic DNA intact. And making this kind of ‘dirty food’ in the food trucks is just the best. It provides comfort, it makes people happy.
Esquire: What is your process of creating a new dish from scratch? Where does the inspiration come from?
CD: I have no idea. Sometimes I’ll be driving and it just comes to me. Other times when I’m standing in the kitchen, trying to create, nothing comes. Sometimes I’ll have a recipe in my head and when I make it it tastes horrible. Other times, the most absurd ingredients will make the best food. I really have no idea.
Esquire: Tell me about your fascination with Dubai, and the culinary scene out here.
CD: I believe Dubai will become one of the new culinary hubs of the world. They are so inviting, so welcoming to different flavours, and chefs from everywhere want to come here and create and present their art, myself included. New restaurants are popping up every day, and they deeply respect the food and the customer experience, which is the most important thing. I am very excited to be able to give the guests here at La Mar an experience they will hopefully never forget.
Esquire: What do you think about the sudden explosion of chef movies and TV shows? Are they an accurate description of what it’s really like?
CD: Sometimes, yes. I am 43, and I became a chef when I was 18. Back then, it was not glamorous, and I still don’t think it is. We are cooking 24/7, always covered in food. But the process used to be so much more chaotic. In our company, DiverXO, we understand that happy people make happy food. We do not want fighting in the kitchen, we do not allow this attitude. Of course we want to reach top level, but if you respect your staff, the staff will respect your restaurant, and the results will show. Anyone who works in a restaurant kitchen will be there because of their passion for food, so there is no reason to scream at them.
