The front of the house can still be an ambition for young people: the story of Marta Campillo, who arrived at DiverXO on an internship at the age of 21 and was promoted within three years to maître. "I get nervous even today before a shift begins, but I like it that way.”
The story
Career plans looked different when 21-year-old Marta Campillo set foot inside what many consider the best restaurant in the world eight years ago. Having just completed her studies in tourism and hotel management at the school in San Pol de Mar, she intended to stay somewhere briefly before taking off for the Caribbean and lying in the sun all year round. "I was planning to stay in a resort," she smiles. She barely knew who Dabiz Muñoz was, if not for a tv ad. Just a month and a half before her trip would have begun, her father, who had already taken her to Carme Ruscalleda, suggested that she send her CV to the Madrid Three Michelin Star restaurant, and she didn’t dislike this idea.
@El Norte
"The first day was chaotic," she recalls. "I couldn't understand what was going on around me nor could I keep up with the pace. I had never considered working in the front of the house hall and even less had I thought I would develop a passion for it. The tasks were basic: I would go in first and set up the lights, the napkins, the place cards. Then, little by little, I am serving and describing a few dishes." On what would have been my last day, I decided to continue in the position.
Progress in the team continued gradually over the span of three years. That is, until the maître left her post and Dabiz Muñoz's choice to fill it was Marta. "I had never been a maître but simply a waitress; however, I took on the challenge without being sure I was up to the task." Today she oversees a team of seventeen people, with the sole goal of making guests happy. "There are people who are trustful, others who are more introverted, and still others who look for mistakes. The one thing I do not tolerate is disrespect."
@DABIZDIVERXO
The restaurant is open four days a week, Wednesday through Saturday, for both lunch and dinner. Marta arrives, checks the tables, and if any customers have already been guests, sends Muñoz the relevant menus, to avoid any dish repetition. After lunch, before the dinner shift, she holds a final meeting with the sommeliers to remind him of any intolerances and returning guests.
"I wouldn't be here or be who I am today without Dabiz Muñoz. He continues to teach me a lot. He taught me the importance of giving everything so that people come out happy, to believe in myself, and he instilled self-denial in me. If you want something, you must go all the way. I still get nervous even to this day before a shift begins. It's unbelievable that it still happens, but it's beautiful that way. There are customers who fly in from New York to dine here and leave the next day. People come in with very high expectations. For us, every recognition is an added pressure." She was awarded last year's National Gastronomy Award, which she celebrated with the whole team.
Source: El Mundo
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Photo courtesy of Marta Campillo
