Rocío Parra, the chef who had to learn to live with the pressure of a Michelin star

Rocío Parra (Madrid, 1982) says that she

when she did an internship in his restaurant in Madrid (two Michelin stars), where she arrived after having studied at the hotel school run by Juan Pozuelo, also in the capital. .

"That's when I got the hang of haute cuisine and not only did it awaken my interest in making people enjoy food, but I discovered that I really liked

; that is, working with my hands and making beautiful things", comments the young chef.

After having worked in Guipúzcoa with

and at the

restaurant (one Michelin star) in León as head chef, Rocío decided, together with her husband Alberto Rodríguez (sommelier), to make a dream come true and open their own dining room in 2015. He did it in a small place in the historic center of Salamanca with only six tables and which was entered through the kitchen.

He followed the advice of his mentors that you always have to try to offer the best product, that it doesn't have to be the most expensive or exclusive, and five years after the inauguration,

with an elegant proposal based on a seasonal product.

This year they did a total renovation of the premises that kept them unemployed for almost six months.

Now it is no longer accessed through the kitchen, but it presides over the restaurant, so that it is completely in view of the diners, who are participants in what happens there: "We have nothing to hide."

Despite the fact that they increased the number of tables to nine, Rocío assures that they have a waiting list of a month and a half for weekends.

Why Salamanca? Because my husband Alberto is from here and he wanted to go back to his roots and pay homage to his hotelier grandfather, who had a restaurant in Salamanca, La Montaraza.

Also, we thought it was an intermediate point between León, where his family is, and Madrid, where mine is.

It is a beautiful city with a lot to offer for tourism.

His proposal is based on traditional cuisine with avant-garde touches.

"I really like stews, traditional flavors and, starting from there, I achieve elegance with a beautiful presentation on the plate. I also use technique, of course, but, above all, I like good slow-cooked stews, as I our mothers and grandmothers made, because, in the end, it is what people are looking for. For me it is important that diners identify what is on the plate".

To have a Michelin star, the menus are quite affordable. We have always tried to make them so, although now, with the reform and the rise in supplies and raw materials, we have had to increase the price a bit.

We don't like to climb on the vine, as our name says, and we want everyone to be able to try our dishes.

Crispy potato with farinato foam and roasted yolk.

In La Parra it has

,

, with 25 passes (90 euros) and

, with 19 (70 euros), where the pig is the protagonist, and a children's menu for 40 euros.

And it is that Rocío has two very clear things: menus without meat are not adapted and if children come, they have to pay.

"We had to set some guidelines. I bet on the Iberian pig (in the menu of 25 dishes, 13 are with pork) and, if someone comes who does not eat it, I cannot give them something alternative, because it would not be my kitchen, but another something that I do not offer in my proposal".

Regarding the children's menu, everything arose because there were people who brought the children without warning.

"We found ourselves with a reservation for six of which one or two were children who were not eating, and the menu prepared for those diners was thrown away. It was a way of saying 'children are welcome, but this is a business and you have to pay a toll', because the child takes his place, eats,

take bread...so you should pay a minimum.

There are people who have received it very well and others, the one who brought them without warning, very badly".

Do you live in this business with only nine tables? Fortunately, we live 100% of the restaurant.

It is true that you have to look at the costs and adjust a lot, and on top of that we are a lot of staff [about nine employees].

We look for local products to save on transportation and also seasonal foods that are not very elitist, such as vegetables, legumes, meat from Salamanca... The star will also help, which put you on the map. We've been with it for two years.

We got it when we were five after opening the restaurant and that's an incredible merit, because we weren't on the map, we weren't known outside of Salamanca and we didn't have

to bring us to the fore at the first moment.

In the end, we have achieved everything by doing things well and that is a pretty big shot of energy.

We are very happy with the trajectory and now with the reform we have taken a little step forward. What did it mean for you to win it?

Did he put pressure on you? It's a dream come true and, above all, a reward for your effort and work.

But it also puts enormous pressure on it.

I have taken it a little worse than Alberto.

He knew how to digest success better and I had a season in which he did not enjoy my work at all, because it seemed that everyone was looking closely at what he did.

People who come to a Michelin star restaurant do so with very high expectations and, in the end, when you don't meet them, they criticize you.

It was very difficult for me to digest those criticisms, I was not prepared.

But there comes a time when you have to learn not to take it personally, because that puts a lot more pressure on you, and you have to enjoy it and know how to manage it.

On the other hand, you don't have to let your guard down and the pressure also helps to continue giving your best. Are you considering more openings or making the leap to Madrid? Not at the moment (laughs).

We have just completed the reform and we have gotten involved in a very large project.

We have been closed for almost six months and now the only thing that matters to us is getting through this supply crisis, the electricity price crisis and all that as best we can.

This is our backpack and we have to hold on and push forward.

In a few years, maybe we will consider it. What inspires you to create your dishes? In the taste, the first, or in ingredients that I find that I do not even have in mind, and the second,

in cookbooks, I devour them.

I really like the Apicius books and, when I'm blocked, I look at those or the recipes of my classmates;

I have an important gastronomic library at home.

And then when I have ideas, I really like to talk about it with my team.

Brainstorming is a fundamental part of creating a dish

on the vine

Address

: San Pablo 80. Salamanca.

Telephone

: 923064783.

Reservations

: info@restaurantenlaparra.com and www.restaurantenlaparra.com

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