The Diverxo chef arrived, greeted those present, took up the gauntlet, and placed himself at the disposal of congress-goers. Thus began the most choral interview the Madrid genius has ever given. Thus began one of the major events at Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España 2022.

You're opening Ravioxo in May. What will it be? Cutting-edge or death?

Ravioxo started off by way of a homage to the 15 years of Diverxo, where we began making the first on-plate dumplings in 2007, and made a start on developing a ground-breaking concept with steamed ravioli. A concept that has strode on to the present day. And so Ravioxo will pick up that legacy and will be much more, based on the world of pasta, albeit with a little of our XO madness. A dialogue with Italy, Spain, China and Argentina, why not. Slightly more travelled, but very different from what we've done to date.

How can you combine 5, 10 or 15 ingredients in a recipe, and still have harmony?

Creativity is difficult to explain. I see cookery as a group of ingredients that produce a balanced dialogue in a single dish. I cook with my head more than with my hands. I haven't fully test-driven some of our recipes, but I've already done them in my head. If we ask ourselves what a fish "suquet" or a stew is, it's a combination of a large number of ingredients that produce a balanced dish. That is what our cooking is about. 

You have a "mental palate". Could you cook blindfolded?

I could do that Yes.

How can you lead the life you lead and continue with your creativity?

After 15 years of good things, the only way I can go on is to seek new challenges. I want to change the Diverxo and Streetxo locations, and I'm going to open Ravioxo. That's it: new challenges to keep moving forward. Because the best is yet to come. That's the attitude.

How many people work with you on the creative process? 

I don't have a creativity department. But I have powerful world teams, people who've been with me for a long time, and they help me with the creativity.

What advice would you give a young man who wants to work in cookery?

There are many ways of working in cookery. When I started out, the world of cuisine was different. If you were a chef, they said you would have no personal life. And that's changing. Now you can have a brilliant career, and be happy without killing yourself working.

Are you going to write a book?

I'd like to. It's very strange that I haven't written one yet. But I need time, because when I do it, I want it to break the rules. And that time hasn't come yet.

Could you cook without any sense of smell?

Yes. I did that during the pandemic. I had no sense of taste or smell.

If you had to choose the ultimate recipe ...

I'll choose three, which relate to three people I admire, who've left their mark on me. Abraham García's eggs and truffle, Gastón Acurio's "La Mar" ceviche, and any of the foie-gras recipes Aduriz made.

Your most resounding success and your most resounding failure?

I can't comment on success, because a lot of wonderful things have happened to us. All in all, I hope the biggest success has yet to come. And failure, well, I've never failed. I might have made mistakes, but I haven't failed. If I've got to where I am it's because we were able to get up again after a fall. I'm very proud of that.

What do you think about the criticism you come in for? And the complaints when you put the price up?

Critics didn't matter to me in terms of price. It's my restaurant, and I set the price I want, like any private business. When we were considering putting the price up we conducted an analysis: Diverxo had always operated at a loss, and we wanted better conditions for the people working with us. My thoughts on the subject were clear: if we didn't fill the restaurant with this price, Diverxo would be unreal. If people didn't come at that price, then we shouldn't be there.

Amid the general criticism, I've been at my best professionally and personally over the last two years. The way I relate to colleagues and gastronomy has improved too. When you open a restaurant aged 27 nobody teaches you to be a businessman, to lead a large team, or be a public personage. Nobody prepares you for that, and the digestion phase took its time. I went to a psychologist, who helped me undo some knots and put the right focus on things. Being constantly in the eye of the storm is often wonderful, but it has its pressure and mind management too. And I wasn't always up to the management.

Do you have any cookery dreams?

All of them. The first is to create the new Diverxo. The way I see it, it will be a restaurant that will break down barriers. I can say no more, but it will be another turn of the screw compared to the trade as we know it.

Does cutting-edge exist? Has it disappeared?

Cutting-edge means something that moves down a new path in any artistic discipline. Cutting-edge still exists, and other forms of it have been transformed, but it will always be there. For years we associated it with a very specific kind of innovation. And there are other types. There are bound to be young people sitting here today who'll be the next to open up new doors.

How about one of today's menus to be served up in 2050?

We can't miss out on some great croquettes and "cocido" stew. Those are two of my favourites. Any time at all, I always like a plate of stew.

What sacrifices would you be prepared to make?

I don't want to set any confines or frontiers. I have one of the best teams in the world. We've changed the business in the last few years. We've brought in talent and we're growing, because that's important. If a restaurant is to be powerful, it needs a lot of people around it with experience in other areas so that people like me can concentrate on cooking. And it all has to be economically and humanly sustainable. You have to remember that a restaurant will only survive if it's profitable. It's a sine qua non.

Favourite fish?

Skate.

Favourite ingredient?

Olive oil and chilli, and ají chilli peppers too.

The future of haute cuisine?

Everyone should interpret that whatever way they like. We used to think that haute cuisine had to be done in a certain way. Now we see it can be done in other formats.

Spanish tortilla. With or without onion?

Without. The problem with poached onion in tortilla is that it makes it sweet, and from the organoleptic point of view sweetness doesn't sit well with egg. Potato, egg and oil. Nothing else.

The future of your brand?

We'll continue to break down barriers. We have more surprising projects in store. Doing deliveries or a food truck was wonderful, but there'll be more surprises.

What does inspiration consist of?

Being happy. The happier you are, the more inspiration you have.

What did you have for dinner last night?

I didn't have dinner. The restaurant was full.

One of your own dishes you like best.

I'll give you two: rabbit and carrot, because it was the first recipe I did at Diverxo, and reverse salad with grilled fish. This is very good on the creative level.