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Alvaro Clavijo, born in 1985 in Bogotá, Colombia. He’s the patron-chef at El Chato in the Latin American capital, but he also signs the menu at Mitù in Milan
According to the legend, of which we doubt, Alvaro Clavijo became a cook (today his top restaurant, El Chato, is number 80 in the 50Best, and 25th in Latin America) only because he was a disaster as a kitchen hand.
This is how it went, more or less: Clavijo – born in 1985 in Bogotá, Colombia - at 17 after finishing school went to work as kitchen hand in a small Tex-Mex place in Paris, as many young Colombians from good families who would leave home for a year to learn a language, grow up, and get to know the world. In that small place in the French capital young Alvaro was a weight: he was too slow as kitchenhand, he really didn’t work. The owner, instead of throwing him out, tested him in the kitchen and taught him something so he could be of help at least there. The outcome: «I fell in love with that place. The sounds, the adrenaline, the heat, the shouts, the service. Everything!».
A few months later Clavijo, was convinced of his future. Instead of returning home as planned he knocked on the door of the famous Escola d’Hosteleria Hofmann in Barcelona, with the intention of learning as much as possible how to delight his guests. This would be the first step of a training that would see him acquire experience again in Paris, but this time at Le Bristol and at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, before moving to New York to cook at Per Se and Atera, and finally at Noma in Copenhagen, a classic.
The brigade at El Chato
We have visited both restaurants. They were both lovely. "A relaxed yet innovative dinner with one of the brightest chefs in Colombia" says the 50Best of El Chato, and the same thoughts perfectly fit the Milanese younger sibling. They delighted us with simple yet neat dishes, extrovert, rich but without being simply round, full of life, energy. What surprised us the most was the unexpected stylistic fil rouge, a clear connection of intentions and results. In other words, of course there are only few recipes that are the same in both places, after all they are 9’150 km apart. But there’s the same idea and style, a strong mark which is that of Clavijo. Who clearly knows what he's doing.
Chicken heart with Richi potato and suero costeño, a dish which we tasted in Bogotá, one of Clavijo’s signature dishes. Excellent, we would like to see it in Milan too
EL CHATO A BOGOTÀ: I PIATTI
The dining room at El Chato in Bogotà
Granadilla, orejero, basil and coriander. Granadilla is the fruit of Passiflora ligularis A.Juss., a plant originally from the Andes; orejero is a paste made with the seeds of Enterolobium cyclocarpum, an evergreen tree that can be found throughout tropical America. As we will see, at Mitù i Milan they have a similar dish
They immediately serve a corroborating broth with almojabanas, typical sandwiches with cuajada cheese and cornflour
Bone marrow, tucupi and snails. Tucupi is the yellow juice extracted from peeled wild manioca roots, grated and pressed
Cubio, crab and rice. Cubio, which botanists call Tropaeolum tuberosum, is an endemic species of the Andes. It’s important in the traditional diet of the Boyacà, in the centre-north of Colombia, as this plant produces tubers used in the regional cuisine. Cubios is similar to carrots in shape, but with a white or yellow peel, and are rich in starch
Trout, trout and trout
Crunchy corncobs, hazelnut mayo, costeño cheese and toasted corn
Dessert: Mambe, quinoa and citronella. Mambe, or ypadú, is a non-refined and non concentrated powder made with toasted coca leaves and ash of different plants
MITÙ A MILANO: I PIATTI
The dining room at Mitù in Milan
We start like in Bogotà, with Granadilla, leche de tigre and cashew nuts. Taste it, it’s delicious
Ceviche of scallop, balanced
Tamal with plantain maduro and mushrooms. Tamales are a typical dish in some Latin American cultures: rolls made with cornflour dough, filled with meat vegetables etcetera
Patacón, salsa guacamole and tongue pastrami. Patacón is a typical dish from Latin America, made with pieces of green plantain, pressed and fried
The Arroz chicken atollado is simple and delicious. Arroz atollado is a Colombian dish; on top of rice, it has chicken, pork, potatoes of different kinds, vegetables and seasonings
The Entraña, reduction of frijoles, papa criolla and aji of guatila and huacatay (the latter is a herb, Tagetes minuta) is also delicious
Sweet finale, fresh and convincing with Lulo, guanàbana and meringuqe. Lulo is the fruit of Solanum quitoense, a south American plant of the same family of potatoes, aubergines and tomato; lulo is used by indigenous people in the Andes for its highly vitaminic juice. Guanàbana is the fruit of Annona muricata, an evergreen tree with large leaves
SEE ALSO: Ivan Cordoba now wants to score with a restaurant, from Paolo Marchi
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief
Leonor Espinosa at Identià Milano 2023
Leonor Espinosa and Fatmata Binta, both special guest speakers in the Auditorium at Identità Milano 2023: the Colombian chef will give a talk with her daughter Laura Hernandez on Sunday 29th January at 3.40 p.m.; the Sierra Leonean chef on Saturday 28th at 4.20 p.m.
Chef Alvaro Clavijo and Ivan Cordoba with his wife Maria. Right, Envuelto with curd and plantain, one of the dishes capable of telling the story of Colombian ingredients and traditions. Photos: Annalisa Cavaleri
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