International Chef’s Day, a task that provides experiences of flavors to the palate

Exercising the work of chef is an art in all its expression. It is a job that requires dedication, dedication and the ability to play with the textures, colors and flavors of food when preparing a dish. With the aim of honoring this professional, who makes each meal a memorable experience, today October 20 is celebrated the International Chef’s Day, an exaltation of culinary art and culture.

It should be noted that this work has been commemorated since 2004, and was established by the World Culinary Association to honor all those who masterly handle food to create an experience of flavors on the palate. Regarding this celebration, 3 Dominican chefs talk about the meaning of working in front of the stove for them.

Jhon Delfín Ortiz, chef of the Ministry of Tourism, “The secret of my dishes is in the love and passion with which I prepare them”

“Since I was little I always liked to cook, prepare my own food and share it with my siblings, and although at first I felt a bit insecure, because I did not know whether to dedicate myself to the kitchen or not, the satisfaction of bringing love through my dishes he won ”, expressed Jhon Delfín Ortiz, chef of the Ministry of Tourism.

Ortiz also said that the work of a chef should focus on sharing happiness in each of his dishes, and that in order to exercise this trade, one must feel love for the kitchen and a vocation for service.

Regarding the celebration of International Chef’s Day, the chef expressed that it is gratifying to know that such noble and laborious work as that of the chef is recognized worldwide.

“When I’m cooking I always think about doing my best. The kitchen is the reflection of the character of each chef, and this character is the result of each dish. My hallmark as a chef is the love and passion that I put into preparing a proposal ”.

Chef Jhon Delfín Ortiz says he is passionate about local products, including oregano, garlic and onion, but what is never lacking in his kitchen are the passion, dedication and love with which he cooks, he says.

According to the chef, at present, this work is being valued and recognized in the country, so that the importance is being given to those who dedicate themselves to cooking as a profession.

Inés Páez, chef Tita “I cook from love”
“The cook is one who works from the heart and who can express himself through food. He is a leader who uses the kitchen as a weapon for social change and can transform through food, “said Inés Páez, better known as Chef Tita, when celebrating International Chef’s Day today, October 20.

Regarding this day, she pointed out that with this commemoration the chef is honored, which shows that this work is valued more and more every day.

Chef Tita is recognized for her great contribution to the rescue of the Dominican gastronomic heritage. She assures that, since she was little, her family instilled in her a love for cooking, for tradition and the ancestral roots of these stoves, values ​​that impacted her life and moved her so that today, she was a cook.

“My kitchen is one of culture and knowledge, I focus on the rescue of the gastronomic heritage, I offer a proposal that elevates the flavors, more minimalist, more careful, but, above all, it is a kitchen focused on the rescue of the ancestral, of the Taínos Arauco, this influence has marked my cuisine and that is why I love to tell it in each one of my elaborations ”, he argued.

“When I’m in the kitchen I think about making my guests smile, about creating an experience for them, I love seeing their faces. I cook from love and this gives me a lot of pleasure. I think of filling people with happiness through my signature dishes and cuisine, ”said chef Tita.

According to the cook, gastronomy is the differentiating factor of the tourist offer of a country, and more than 30% of the people who visit a destination in the world are for gastronomy, to know its idiosyncrasy, its culture; and the Dominican Republic, more than sun and beach is history, and that story must be told in every gastronomic proposal that it shows. In the same order, the chef expressed that one of her most cherished dreams is for the country to be recognized as a gastronomic destination, to be an international guide.

Leandro Díaz, “My kitchen is very Leandro, because Leandro is very Dominican”

The chef Leandro Díaz, on the occasion of celebrating International Chef’s Day today, emphasizes that “a chef is a gastronomic leader whose responsibilities go beyond the kitchen, however, a chef is anyone who has the possibility, under criteria, to to be able to carry out a dish ”.

Chef Leandro expressed that it is very interesting to know that there is a day to remember that there is a group of human beings who, day by day, give themselves body and soul in their stoves to bring happiness, good nutrition, to serve and make a smile across your plates.

Leandro assures that when preparing a dish he seeks his inspiration in the Dominican soils, “traveling the fields of my country and sharing with his cooks awakens my creativity, that I make integrations and mergers with local products”.

“My cuisine is very Leandro, because Leandro is very Dominican, with its variants and forms, but always trying to make purely local proposals, very Dominican with a touch of author and avant-garde, respecting its essence, where it comes from, its ancestral techniques, and of course, implementing things of mine. These small details are what make my kitchen, my way of being, different. I think the way we handle ourselves, how we behave, how we feel when we cook is what makes the dish or kitchen different ”, he pointed out.

According to chef Leandro, something that would make him very happy would be to see that Dominican cuisine is internationally recognized, in countries like Mexico, Peru and Spain.

It is well known that cooks have a demanding palate, however, Leandro assures that as a diner it is very difficult for him to put on the clothes of a critic; This is because he knows and understands how demanding this task is, and he recognizes that the most important thing – and what he looks at – is the effort and dedication that the chef has put on the plate.

In addition, he explains that the most significant of a dish is the first thing that is perceived as meaning; sight and smell. The visual part is very important, here the saying that “you eat with your eyes” is enforced, in addition to the fact that the digestion process begins with sight and smell, which means that the process of gastronomic experience begins with these. senses.

“There are sun and beaches on many islands in the Caribbean, but not a gastronomy like ours, with culture and history to tell,” emphasized chef Leandro Díaz.