A Spaniard in Vallarta

For several years, in the Puerto Vallarta marina, Andreu Ferrer was the chef of El Duque restaurant, an iconic place where he served authentic Spanish cuisine. Now that he is about to launch a new project, we talked with this charming Ibizan who fell in love with Mexico and came to live in this wonderful spot.

What prompted you to become a chef?

My dad was a chef, a master of masters of old French cuisine. In my first drawings as a little boy, I already draw my family in chef’s hats (laughs). I grew up in that environment.

How would you describe the cooking style you developed at El Duque?

I realized that Spanish cuisine was not well represented in Mexico, so with a lot of love I tried to share it´s authentic flavors.

Tell us a little about your professional development.

I have spent most of my adult life lifetime as a cook developing my skills and knowledge, I have cooked most of the cuisines in the world. At the age of 21 I was already head chef of one of the main French restaurants in Ibiza. It has been constant learning and sharing.

Did you study in any school?

Now you learn that way, but when it comes to authentic restaurateurship, you have to work with the great masters. I was fortunate to work with some of them, very hard hours, 16, 17 hours of full concentration to master the essence of ancient cuisine. Being a chef means not just making dishes but improving as a person, improving yourself every day; it is a life dedicated to your work.

And how is that reflected in restaurant food?

Today you go to a restaurant and they tell you that something has a fennel sauce and when you try it, it doesn’t taste like fennel. Only a few chefs know how to represent what the letter says on the palate. It takes a lot of experience and work to reach a level of subtlety on the palate.

How would you define yourself as a chef?

There are more than 5,000 recipes in traditional French cuisine alone, and you have to have known and executed them all. So I consider myself a database of traditional recipes and also a tool. And I also consider myself a creative person. For example, Ferrán Adriá’s seminars really opened my mind and for many years I created and designed menus for many restaurants. So I can do the traditional recipes and then wander and blur them as I please.

You’re about to open a new restaurant, right?

Yes, together with a great Spanish friend, a gourmet. Just as an example, in Mexican cuisine fish is usually well overcooked. But the idea is that any Spaniard can try a fish with a Spanish texture in Mexico, cooked in a pan with clean and fresh oil, without frozen product. Respect for the material is very important for the dish. I am very excited to bring an authentic spanish culinary experience to your table.

What can you say about your life in Puerto Vallarta?

First I arrived in Guadalajara, but being from Ibiza, big cities overwhelm me a lot, so almost every weekend I came to Vallarta. In Vallarta you can both live in a small, cozy town and enjoy all kind of services.

Well, we hope you open your new restaurant soon, so we can enjoy your cooking.