Begoña Rodrigo almost doubled the tasting menu price, earning solidarity from her audience. "Prices cannot be constrained while compromising the well-being of the team members" she bravely asserted.
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Born in 1975, Begoña Rodrigo is the chef of La Salita restaurant in Valencia, opened in 2005 and awarded a Michelin star 14 years later. Completely self-taught, she gained food fame after winning the first edition of Top Chef, having spent decades in the field, sacrificing eighty hours a week as if it were nothing. Until the opening of her first establishment with a capital of €37,000, without asking anything from anyone. Today, she is a celebrity in Spain, sought after by magazines and conferences; but her humble beginnings have made her wiser.
"Pleasing everyone makes no sense. My greatest virtue is knowing how to ignore those who are not friendly to me. Over the years, I've learned to put things into perspective. If something doesn't go perfectly today, it will happen tomorrow," she explains to El Mundo. The pandemic changed the landscape; denying it would have meant losing the best collaborators at the first opportunity. "You can't offer low prices at the expense of the team," she is convinced. That's why, with her brother, the restaurant's dining room director, she raised the price of the tasting menu from €80 to €150 when reopening.
It was not a decision taken lightly, but with the real fear of a negative response from the public, who instead showed solidarity. The cuisine has also shifted more towards vegetables, thanks to the garden. The menu features dishes like vegetable soppressata, fennel with gazpacho meringue, and halophyte soup, strictly seasonal. So, when they reach their peak in a few weeks, they must be replaced. "My vegetarian menu is 100% vegetarian and almost vegan."The intention is actually to push this approach even further next year. And acidity takes center stage, thanks to citrus and vinegars produced by the chef, scented with tiger nuts, raspberry, or passion fruit.
"To attend gastronomic conferences, I paid for everything: hotel, plane, and ticket. Something that no male colleague had to do. Since they haven't invested money, maybe they don't understand what I'm saying. Before, you saw chefs at conferences, now you don't. There's no participation in the talks; maybe the message we send is not interesting," she complains. Yet her restaurant is thriving, thanks to a close-knit team of 32 collaborators, some of whom have been with her for almost twenty years. They come from all over the world, much to her satisfaction; and even trial periods are paid. Because everyone has something good: "It's always good to pay attention to people," Begoña confides.
