Ecuadorian Gastronomy, Inspiration and Pride. A conversation with Chef Alejandro Huertas

Who is Alejandro Huertas and how would you describe yourself professionally and personally?

Alejandro Huertas is a passionate cook who loves Ecuador with all his heart, I think there is no better place than our country. The gastronomy, culture and everything that encompasses the country.

As a person I consider myself calm, casual and I want to change the conception of the Ecuadorian. I think that whoever represents the new CEO of the world should be able to drive a Ferrari, but also be able to eat in a market, be dressed super top, but also wear sandals and shorts.

I believe in being casual not only with clothing but as a lifestyle. Sometimes we have very heavy luggage on top of us, when in reality life is very short. "WE HAVE TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST.

What are the flavors that marked the different stages of your life?

The flavors are like a common thread in the kitchen.
I have several flavors throughout my life; I started with a "Spicy Stage" because I have been a rebel since I was young, because I have tried not to follow the rest so as not to feel that I am a sheep; in fact, I feel that this is not wrong, one has his own way of seeing life. I started this spicy stage in high school, with several careers that I didn't finish, then I went for other careers that I didn't finish and finally I connected with gastronomy.

Then you have the "Bitter Stage" where you don't know what to do, until you find or have needs, for example, creativity is born out of the difficulties of these bitter parts of what we see as complicated. As I see it, you have to suffer to be creative. That bitter part also represents the things that you think and are not so clear because you are looking for what you imagine, but you do not find it until you have it in front of you and that happened to me with gastronomy, I found a passion, an adventure because it allows you to go out, to feel and that is super cool.

Then there is the "Sweet Stage" where you find that creativity that you are passionate about and you say I finally did it, ahpi you find the love for what you do and I relate it as the end of the Menu where people make room for dessert, for that sweet thing that makes them happy.

These flavors you find an Umami you find all the mix of flavors that I had to go through and I understood a lot of life and you start to laugh, cry, and this constant change is incredible.

What has the year 2022 been like for you? What is the word that would determine this year?

This year has been full of many obstacles, but full of goals. I am a person who feels uncomfortable when I am comfortable and that is why I need to get out of my comfort zone. To create a solid, strong team and to mature as a professional is to understand that there are many things out there, beyond the egocentrism that we chefs have, and to understand that we have to return to our own.

What were your steps to qualify for this World Cup? How did you feel when you heard the news?

First, we participated in this World Cup for two specific reasons:

For my partners and my team I feel the need to make them feel proud and know that everything is possible with hard work and effort. Professionalism does not mean to be full of titles but to seek excellence in what is done in Ecuador.

I wish that Ecuadorians break the paradigms and think that our gastronomy has a lot to offer and that it has nothing to envy to other continents. The premise is that dreams come true.

How was your preparation for this World Cup?

One is never ready until you really face everything we experienced in Spain to understand a little more what this world cup was about, being there we understood that it is not only a competition but to know what is happening on the other side of the world, to know what is happening in a continent that is ten years ahead of us in culture, gastronomy; then you start to really appreciate what is ours.

Ecuador, being a small country compared to the rest of the world, has nothing to envy to the rest of the countries, because it is a gastronomic bastion of the world, that our own people should begin to appreciate.

I am convinced that Ecuador is a very rich country and we can become great exponents not only with gastronomy.

How did you conceive the recipes for these tapas? What was the conceptualization process from sketch to plate.

Always based on the beginning of everything, which is in the field, not only as farmers, but in the field as people who are always looking for something different. I did not want to make a traditional Ecuadorian recipe because I think we should pay tribute to the grandmothers, aunts, mothers who have these recipes that are very different from each other. I did not want to centralize Ecuadorian cuisine in a single region of Ecuador, what we need in these world competitions is that they realize that Ecuador is one. I based myself on the products, on what we have learned, on the trips we have made, on the conversations we have had, on how the product arrives, based on how we can be more local, but without falling into the same old discourse.

So the cover was inspired by the producers, by the team, by the creativity of each person who is part of 3500, and also by you, I could not leave out República del Cacao, knowing that the best cocoa is in Ecuador. Inspiration is born by going to investigate where the products come from.

Which moment of the contest was the most significant for you and why?

When it's your turn to present your dish and the video with which you competed starts to run. The jury comes back to see you, people look at you, and you experience that strong tension that you have to get it out and it must be perfect, and that is the moment when all the tension that you experienced during those months is over. So it's a much more adrenaline-filled moment for representing your country.

What was the most significant moment for you in collaborating with chefs Pachi Larrea and Rubén Arnanz?

With Pachi we first met and knew that someone was doing such incredible things in Spain with chocolate from Ecuador. It was crazy because it seemed like we had known each other all our lives, both with the same ideal, looking for the same thing, transmitting the same thing, feeling as proud as anyone anywhere in the world. The two of us admiring each other a lot and programming ideas for the following year, we want Ecuador to know that in Spain there is someone from the country who was champion in one of the most important pastry cups in the world. Those things are incredible because they fill you with pride. And with Rubén, on the other hand, it was to show him that our country is full of great people, friends and products, that we are not only the Ecuadorian who is visiting, but also the Ecuadorian who has great things to show the world. So Ecuador is a country that inspires.

What was the experience of cooking collectively with 7 other Ecuadorian chefs in Spain like for you, and what do you think of these cooperative spaces between chefs?

It was an incredible thing because it wasn't something scheduled and I didn't know any of them before. They just started calling us to help us, and it was something very significant for me because I traveled alone, without anyone from my team, due to visa issues, so I thanked them very much for their support. We met again as Ecuadorian chefs in the same country and we realized that we are one. So it was more a matter of the heart than anything else, so those situations fill you up a lot.

What do you think Ecuadorian cuisine can contribute to gastronomy after participating in these experiences?

I return in love and with much more desire to bet on what is ours. I believe that we all seek that excellence from each of our trenches.

What has been the most important lesson for you from this trip and the experiences you have shared with other chefs in Spain?

Proud that many Ecuadorian chefs are making haute cuisine with our ingredients in other countries, we can be a gastronomic power thanks to allies around the world opening doors and becoming stronger.

How did you feel about being accompanied by República del Cacao?

I am a loyal fan of the brand because I have always had their backing and support, I love them very much and I admire their inspiration as an ally and friend company to give us a hand, to support us. Knowing that you are not going alone and that there is support behind you is very gratifying.

What is the thing that makes you happiest about your profession?

To transmit through cooking a culture as rich as ours that needs to be recognized by many in the world.

What recommendations would you give to people who want to venture into the culinary world?

Fear is the worst friend of success, we must go step by step, but thinking big. Life is putting us on the road moments and opportunities that we have to take advantage of. Seek excellence in what you do and do not give up, I also want to give myself this message, love and respect the work.

We are proud to collaborate with Chefs in more than 20 countries around the world sharing their creativity and vision. Talking with Chef Alejandro Huertas filled us with inspiration and motivates us to continue changing the world one cocoa bean at a time. Learn more in the following video: LINK