ANTÓN MARTÍN. Samy Alí, the chef who 'parked' his Michelin star to open a market stall
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Roberto Martínez Foronda was presented to the casting of 'Top Chef' a few years ago.
It was difficult for him to make the decision to go, but in the end he gave in to what everyone around him saw as an opportunity for him.
"There I went to the test, with my ingredients and everything."
And he didn't touch a stove.
"
In the first camera test they threw me. My kitchen was completely secondary
."
That experience was not what I expected, "I saw an industry that did not appeal to me at all", but it did not alter its roadmap either.
"In my life, everything has gradually adapted to what I was needing."
Bad student boy, when suspense became routine, he looked for his exit in the kitchen.
"
As a child he used to say that he wanted to be 'last', the one who made desserts
."
His mother cooked a lot and well at home and told him that since he was little, he had eaten raw garlic and black pudding and that he loved pig trotters and tripe.
"The hospitality industry called me," he says about to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Tripea, his position in the Vallehermoso market that has garnered such good reviews.
He has already managed to get the Michelin Guide to notice him by awarding him the Bib Gourmand, the recognition that the French guide gives to restaurants with excellent value for money.
Mussel ceviche, a classic from Tripea.
It's Wednesday, and
the reserves are picking up a good pace
.
"Now we are as before closing in March of last year. We are reserving tables for mid-March already."
They give 14 services at lunch and 14 at dinner
.
Triperito, its delivery, is about to be a reality
.
"I want it to be my own brand."
With an eight-course menu, his intention is to bring "haute cuisine home".
The Lima salad, the aji de gallina curry and the mussel ceviche - three house hits - can be enjoyed at home "in a matter of days."
On Sundays, now, they are also open.
BEST SCHEDULES
The pandemic has made him rethink many things.
"
The feeling of uncertainty has been difficult to manage
. I thought about closing the business."
In July of last year they reopened and the first day they filled "with known customers. It was very emotional."
The positive of this situation remains with the schedules, something more reasonable now than the usual ones.
"In this sense, we have gained in quality of life."
Tripea's kitchen.
In 2017 came his opportunity to do "something different, with a careful service and image, beautiful tableware" ... at a stall in the Vallehermoso Market in Madrid.
"
I wanted to break with the shabby and dirty concept that until that moment there was
."
Tripea was "initially a way of expressing what was inside me, Peruvian-Asian cuisine with a Spanish base. It was my personal vision."
Its wok mussel ceviche, an iconic dish of the house, wonderfully reflects the level of demand that was set from the beginning.
"Getting a Michelin star does not take away my sleep. It would be the bomb to achieve it here and be the first market position in Spain to get it," he dreams aloud.
This, he says, would "be cool."
The first destination that he met after passing through the Majadahonda Hospitality School was Dassa Bassa, the restaurant of the late Dario Barrio.
From there he went to work with Andrés Madrigal (Alboroque, Casa América), who supported him when he wanted to go to Celler de Can Roca for six months.
"The only thing he told me was:
find your life just to get the stage
. Every day I called the restaurant to ask ...".
And he achieve it.
The stand during a food service.
DIFFERENT STAGES
Restless by nature, his next jump was a great one.
"I went to Peru for a year"
and left his parents with their mouths open and somewhat incredulous with his decision.
Upon his return to Madrid, he began working at Nikkei 225 with Luis Arévalo, considered to be the introducer of Nikkei cuisine - a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine - in Spain and Europe.
Nakeima, where he was head chef, was another very enriching stage.
And again he returned with Arévalo to Kena.
"At this time I already wanted to create something of my own," he remembers.
At 33, he assures that "he has never" moved "for money", although over the years he selects "much more what he does."
Good reviews feed you, but they don't blind you.
Among his next plans is to open a store at street level
.
"Having a larger living room and kitchen allows you to define a more rounded concept".
He knows exactly where it is and the prices he can ask for it (his menu without drinks is 35 euros).
Of course, a lot of public falls from the area, but also from outside.
"Lately a lot of French is coming."
One of the greatest joys in recent times has come
from the Thyssen Museum, which invited him to participate in a cookbook
('The Thyssen on the plate') with some of the best chefs in our country.
"I was especially happy for my father, who is passionate about art. It was also a way to show him what he had achieved."
His creation was the cover.
Try tripling.
Post 44. Vallehermoso Market (Vallehermoso, 36).
Tel: 918 28 69 47.
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