Just like Indian food, Spanish food is also a mix of various spices, herbs, ingredients, and more. Spain boasts of a wide variety of dishes, and the streets of the region are brimming with food stories. While it is not easy to perfect Spanish cooking, Chef Alberto Mastromatteo has become a legend in the Spanish food industry. Alberto Mastromatteo is an expert in slow cooking and a chef who has worked in some of the most renowned kitchens such as Akelarre (Pedro Sibijana), the Palace Hotel in Barcelona, Celler de Can Roca, and Diverxo (Daviz Munoz) in Madrid.
He presently holds the position of Director of SUMMUMM Gastroespacio in Alcobendas, overseeing various activities and culinary proposals of various genres.
Recently, the Consulate General of Spain organized a Spanish Food Festival with celebrity Chef Alberto Mastromatteo in Binge Mumbai, Bastian Worli, Bombay to Barcelona Library Cafe Andheri West, and Taj Souk. We had the opportunity to speak with him and learn more about his fantastic work in the food industry.
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Upon asking what really inspired him to become a chef, he said, "My greatest inspiration was to represent art through food, and one of the main elements is the Pastry, which was what caught my attention in this wonderful culinary world." With this, he also revealed that if he wasn't a chef, he would have been a footballer; however, his reality made him think of something that would help him develop artistically!
As the Chef has worked with a lot of stars, including famous footballer Karim Bezema, he replied by saying that he has been working with Karim since 2017 and that "he is a very good person and very shy but with a big heart." Chef Alberto also added that he has cooked for NBA stars, Hollywood actors, soccer players from both Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, actors and journalists from the world of Spanish cinema, as well as international models and people with high business power.
Since Chef Alberto masters Spanish cuisine, he still finds comfort in everyday recipes. He claimed that for him, the Spanish potato omelette, the ham with tomato, and the Valencian paella are quintessential Spanish recipes that he loves to cook, no matter which part of the world he is in. But till now, if there is a dish that's taste has surprised him, it is rice with coconut that he had in Colombia.
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As the Chef was in India last week, presenting his culture here, his idea was "To bring a simple proposal to be able to adapt it to the flavours and textures that we could find in this wonderful country with its spices, its condiments, and its ways of preparing things to make a Spain-India fusion."
He further added, I am thankful to the Consulate General of Spain, who gave me an opportunity to present our Spanish food to the people of Mumbai through a weeklong festival at Souk in Taj Mahal Palace, Bastian in Worli, and Binge in Khar. During the tour, I also got an opportunity to teach some of the cooking skills of Spanish food to some very special people at Bombay to Barcelona Library Café in Andheri. I was amazed to see the team's enthusiasm at the café for the Spanish food."
He also told us that since he was cooking for Indian people, he tried to mould his dishes as per the flavours here. While he was trying to make dishes as per Indian taste, he said that it was very exciting for him to make a connection between Spain and India.