Yes, chef!

Guillermo Fernández, executive sous chef at The Chedi Luštica Bay, tells Francesca Lee-Rogers about his culinary journey

The Chedi Luštica Bay launched… in July 2018, but I started five months before it had even opened. From the very beginning my colleagues and I were looking forward to working together to create something unique and different. We haven’t stopped since – it’s been like polishing a rough diamond, constantly refining our work. On launch night, we catered for 1,700 special guests.

One of the reasons I decided to become a chef was… to work and travel all over the world. I started my career in my home town of León, Spain. I then studied and worked in a variety of Spanish hotels and restaurants, but it was while I was working in Barcelona that I really grew into my profession. I was working as a sous chef for Martín Berasategui – a Spanish chef with a total of 10 Michelin stars – at his three-Michelin-starred restaurant Lasarte. He then gave me the opportunity to move to Hong Kong, where I opened two restaurants within four years.

The two eateries at The Chedi Luštica Bay are The Restaurant and The Spot, which are… two different concepts for different customers. At The Restaurant, we serve a buffet-style breakfast and dinner in high season, and à la carte in low season, with a mixture of local and international cuisine – everything from Spanish to Asian – but all following a principle of elegancia: dishes which are simple, well-made and well-balanced. At The Spot, we push the boundaries and we’re always looking to challenge and surprise the customer. The food doesn’t fit into any specific type of cuisine, whether it’s langoustine with stracciatella or monkfish with white chocolate. We listen to our guests and use their feedback to constantly innovate with new dishes.

We use… local ingredients from the nearby market and we support local farmers. You can really taste the quality in homegrown food. The local produce I use includes Njeguši cheese, fresh fish from the Boka, olives from Ulcinj, prosciutto from Cetinje, wild mushrooms and honey from Gornja Morača, and chicken from Nikšić.

Some of the stand-out dishes currently on the menu are... Chinese squid salad; bottarga (fish roe) and mint soya; steak tartare; oysters with fennel emulsion; and dry-aged rib-eye.

I get my inspiration from... cookery books and the work of famous chefs such as Pierre Gagnaire, Paolo Casagrande, Thomas Keller and my previous mentor Martín Berasategui.

Outside of work I always cook... something healthy and fresh, trying new ingredients or methods. When I have the opportunity, I visit towns such as Žabljak or Kolašin, which are both in northern Montenegro, and really enjoy eating kačamak and cicvara (types of porridge), jagnjetina ispod saĉa (coal-baked hotpot) and priganice (doughnuts).

This year my team and I are launching a... cookery masterclass, where we will teach people how to make dishes from around the world. We will cook meals that showcase cuisine from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, Italy, France, Spain, and, of course, from Montenegro.

My goals for this year are to... keep learning, to keep improving and to keep working hard.

What I love the most about my job is... that each day is different. I’m not a fan of routine so I like the fact that I always have new

challenges. I enjoy creating new sensations, feelings and reactions from our guests that in turn give us the motivation to improve.

If I hadn’t been a chef... I would have been a pilot. Or perhaps something related to the sea, nature or sport, as these are some of the things that I love.

The best piece of advice I ever received is to... work hard and play hard. Nothing comes without sacrifice, persistence and motivation.

My philosophy is to... follow my dreams. And, if you fall, stand up and keep going. No one is going to tell you that you’ve reached your limit except you.

A recipe for success

Executive sous chef Guillermo Fernández shares a popular dish served at The Chedi Luštica Bay

SEA BASS CARPACCIO WITH MOJO VERDE AND GREEN APPLE AND COCONUT JELLY SERVES 10

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CARPACCIO 1kg sea bass fillet

FOR THE MOJO VERDE 25g fresh coriander leaves, stalks removed 2 garlic cloves 5g cumin seeds 15ml fresh lime juice 170ml extra virgin olive oil 20ml red wine vinegar

FOR THE GARNISH 2 slices green apple Zest of 1 orange

FOR THE COCONUT JELLY 500ml coconut milk Zest of 5 limes 4g agar jelly

FOR SEASONING Extra virgin olive oil Maldon sea salt Cracked black pepper

METHOD Clean and descale the sea bass. Cut thin slices from the loin and arrange on a sheet of cling film cut to the same size as the serving dish.

For the mojo verde, sauté the cumin seeds to release their fragrance. Transfer to a pestle and mortar, and grind together with the salt, pepper, garlic and coriander leaves. Slowly add the red wine vinegar. Pour the mixture into a blender and add the olive oil, followed by the lime juice. If required, add some xanthan gum to keep the emulsion stable. Season to taste. Chop the green apple into batons, zest the orange and set both aside for the garnish.

For the coconut jelly, mix the coconut milk, agar jelly and lime zest in a pan and bring to the boil for one minute. Place in a container and store in the fridge until set, then dice into cubes. Plate up the sea bass, brushing the top with olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Dot some of the mojo verde around the plate and garnish with the green apple, orange zest and cubes of coconut jelly. Drizzle on more olive oil and serve.