09 July 2021

Confiture Parisienne X Juan ARBELAEZ

Juan Arbelaez is present at all levels! On the menu of this chef and company director: restaurants, books, and even television programmes... A career path that is enough to make you dizzy. After three successful collaborations (the latest: Tartinables) with Confiture Parisienne, Juan Arbelaez reveals the secrets of his cooking and his career in an exclusive interview just for you!

Tell us a bit about your background.

Passionate and immersed in the world of gastronomy since my mother and grandfather, I took my courage in both hands to come to France. At the age of 18, I moved to Paris and entered a cooking school: Le Cordon Bleu.

After sharpening my knives with the greatest, I opened my first restaurant in Boulogne-Billancourt, then a second. I now have 14 restaurants, mainly in Paris and the Paris region.

I have also just published a second cookbook. Simple, accessible and delicious recipes.

How do you incorporate your travels into your recipes?

I think that when you are a chef, you are completely permeable. All journeys affect us. As soon as I go on a trip, I bring back a spice, a technique. Meetings also shape you and teach you a lot. We are like sponges, we never stop absorbing new cuisines, new products, cooking is never static, it is always in motion.

Who would you have liked to cook with?

I would have liked to have tried a four-hand with Francis Malmann who is a bit of a firebender. He is someone who has a nonchalance and at the same time an incredible power.

What is your go-to ingredient when cooking?

For me, the essential ingredient, I'm a big fan of lime mixed with a little coriander and chilli. It takes me on a journey home. It takes me back to the smells and flavours of my childhood.

How did the idea for these four Spreadable recipes come about?

After this difficult period and the closing of the borders, it was very hard. We were all a bit locked in and I wanted to escape. I cooked a lot of recipes that made me travel a bit, that made my taste buds fly, that broke all borders a bit. So it was a way of travelling through the palate without a passport.
Tartinables X Juan ARBELAEZ

credits: Jakobsson & Zillén

Do you have any tasting tips or recipe ideas for Tartinables?

I recommend eating your Tartinables with a warm, toasted loaf of bread, a slice of wholemeal bread or breadsticks. It's true that the crunchiness is an essential element for a very gourmet experience.

Do you have any new projects planned?

I have Bazurto which has just opened, which is a Colombian restaurant inspired by the Cartagena market. A festive place where life and the sense of celebration take over. I'm very, very happy to be able to share a bit of my country with all the Parisians.

Thank you Juan for taking the time to answer our questions.

We hope to have the chance to meet you in one of your restaurants!