Paco Torreblanca, Master Pastry Chef
Paco Torreblanca, who recently visited Cuba to attend the First International Gastronomic Seminar in Santiago de Cuba, is penciled in as one of the best confectioners in the world. Mr. Torreblanca is an Honorary Doctor on Food Technology from the Technical College of Valencia, and on Fine Arts at the Miguel Hernandez de Elche University. He’s an extraordinary human being, humble in his greatness, who thinks family comes first in life.
Where does your family tradition come from?
This tradition comes from my grandparents, but I’m not a vocational professional, but an accidental one, since my parents sent to France at the age of 13, to Mr. Jean Millet’s house, so he could professionally train me. I lived there since I was 24 years old and then I returned to Spain.
My father was studying Architecture in Barcelona when the Civil War was declared, so he enlisted as a volunteer of the republican Government. When the war was lost, he was sentenced to thirty years of prison, but he only did fifteen. While he was in jail, he met and became a good friend of Jean Millet, a convinced republican, who had come from France to fight against Spain.
I think that if my father had sent me to make bells, I would’ve become a bell founder. That’s the reason why I always say that I’m an accidental professional and vocation came later.
Did you return to Spain during that time?
I visited Spain twice in 12 years: I spent a week the first time and I stayed for longer in my second trip because my mother insisted that I should come back; nevertheless, my father didn’t agree. He strongly believed that my future was in France. When I met Chelo, who was in Spain during one of my visits, I had more reasons to come back, but I came and left again. I didn’t stay for long: it was a year and half and I definitively returned to Spain.
Gaining international culture was a difficult task in Spain at the time, so your stay in France was certainly very useful in order to learn the profession and languages.
Yes, indeed. I keep many anecdotes in my memory with great love. I’ve always said that France has given me everything I am as a professional: strength, discipline, the rigor of work. Just imagine that when I was 15 years old, while I was having dinner at La Tour d´Argent, Mr. Jean Millet was teaching me how to behave with the pieces of silverware, tables, hands, how to talk to the waiters.
I recall that he used to say: when you go to a restaurant, the first thing you have to do is to ask the name of the person that is serving you, as it creates a relation that guarantees faster and more professional service. I owe him that education.
What did you do when you returned to Spain?
I had two options: five years of military service at the Embassy or getting the French nationality, because I didn’t have it as a requirement. It was my boss, Mr. Jean Millet, who wanted to introduce me to the crème de la crème of France, so I could apply for an important title within my profession. I don’t know if I had made it. The fact is that I had to be a French citizen to do so.
I finally decided to stay in Spain and work on my own, in an effort to establish my own business. I had already met Chelo and I was with her. She wanted to work with me. We conceived and developed this idea of having our own business.
We were living in Alicante, and that’s where we were born. She’s from Alcoy and I was born in a town named Villena, the home of my grandparents. We were connected to our land, language, ancestors, way of thinking, so we became closer and we still love each other. We have the same origins and interests. Sometimes people ask me the reason why I live in a small town, 15 kilometers away from Alicante. I always say that I’ve lived in the most beautiful city of the world, Paris, and many other big cities; therefore, I need a shelter and this is it.
During your stay in Paris as a confectioner, did you have your own business or you did something else?
While I was in Paris I worked for Mr. Jean Millet and I never saw the money. I never needed money from the age of 12 to 24. It was sent to my parents’ accounts according to the custom in Spain at the time. That money was there when we got married, a share of that money they had never touched.
It was all about learning, competing and studying in Paris. I traveled throughout Europe guided by him, because he was the president of France’s National Confederation of Patisserie Entrepreneurs and creator of France’s National Patisserie School, decorated with the order of the Honor Legion. He was a very important person and his name opened a lot of doors for me, so I had the opportunity to meet the finest confectioners of Europe and gain incredible cultural and professional experience.
Some of your titles label you as a patisserie, pastry cook and confectioner. What would be the definition for your profession?
I’m a patisserie confectioner, that’s how it’s to be said and that’s the denomination in France, best patisserie worker in France, best confectionery worker in France, but it used to be the same thing.
According to your experience and education, do you think that after their graduation, students should practice in terms of the production in a company?
That’s a key element. We have the compagnon tour, the route of our children, the children of the Association of culinary professionals, which is made up of 84 professionals: Japanese, Germans, Italians, French, Spaniards, and British. We gather twice a year, at the national castle of Chaillot in France, where we share experiences in a seminar similar to the one we’re holding here, three days of work. I’m in charge of organizing it.
That seminar gives us an opportunity to meet each other and air our ideas. So our children, besides learning from us, enhance their experience by traveling around the world and practicing.
How are confectioners catalogued by Michelin?
There is no such similar classification for us, but in France the title to the best patisserie worker is delivered by the president of the Republic; I was the best patisserie of Spain in 1988, who wins that title cannot participate again. I’m the best patisserie of Europe, which is the same: once you get it you can’t participate again. These titles, as the finest patisserie in my case, are awarded by the Ministry of Employment and they give you the honor to take your country’s flag to the highest level.
Is there any classification as the best patisserie of the world?
That’s a team competition. I won the title of best patisserie of Europe because it’s a single event. Jacob, my son, is the current world number two in teams, because it was a team competition. There is no single title for the best patisserie of the world. The winner in Europe is a member of the world champion team, because Europe features the finest patisserie on the planet, but there is not such title at single level.
That’s why you are described as one of the best confectioners on the face of the earth.
That’s the official information, but I think that, all in all, it’s an assessment of the whole professional career and the work. That’s the reason why I also hold the Honoris Causa titles, which are unique in Spain and the world. I have one in Art, given by Miguel Hernandez University, and another one in Science and Technology, awarded by the Technical College of Valencia, Spain. Those are the most important titles out of the professional sphere.
How important is the fact of having a university title in the gastronomic realm?
There are two centers in Spain that are going to give that title: Basque Culinary Center and the Gastronomy and Culinary Management University Center (GASMA is the Spanish acronym). We’ve worked to have this recognition given at university title level, but there are many steps related to certain teaching elements that are not included in this field; but it’s gaining momentum in Spain and there are more centers working on this matter.
I believe that, at the end of the day, we’ll have a university title recognized in this profession. Furthermore, the economic contribution to our country is significant. In this case, gastronomy in Spain, along with tourism, is one of the main income lines, there is a lot of research, laboratories, product development; it’s scientifically more related to universities. In our case, we collaborate with the Technical College of Valencia when it comes to developing ideas.
Why is Spain’s GASMA different from other universities around the world?
I’m a member of this university’s Advising Council and people must understand that, beyond the teachings, this is not a traditional university precisely because of the economic matter, as it teaches the way companies are managed.
It’s a very important university because of the area where it’s based and the principles that make the difference, such as professorships A+B, research and development. It shares the human concept, the mysticism of university; it teaches humanities, cutting-edge technologies. The people go there to find something that presently doesn’t exist and it’s going to be of great importance. I believe that this is a place where those who have the opportunity to study can make the most of their education.
Do the people who now want to be Chefs or great cooks have higher possibilities to become successful entrepreneurs as they study how companies are managed from the base?
In the past, cooks had to know everything related to their profession at the highest levels, so they could cook and more. They weren’t supposed to manage, there were other people in charge of doing so.
This is going to be one of the main contributions of this university. Therefore, I think it’s very important and the differentiating value of the two new projects in Spain, Basque and GASMA, with this knowledge and management plus is crucial. We were talking about this during the latest meeting and there are people with great talent interested in the project. It’s a decisive moment for this university that is nestled in a heavenly region, with extraordinary gastronomy.
We have the blend in the melting pot and we have to mix it in the right way. We’re certainly going to have one of the best universities on the face of earth.
How do you internationalize your companies?
We sell our products to airlines by taking my private business as the starting point. We have sales in France, Italy, Germany, but teaching is presently the highest challenge. We have several Spanish companies in different regions of the country and our future project aims at my teaching concept, a different concept, very customized, with just a few students, 15 at the most, who will receive all of our knowledge. People will come from every corner of the planet, interested in learning our work philosophy.
The fact that they have expressed their interest in opening a school with us in Beijing speaks high of the project. It’s a Chinese economic group with presence in the stock exchange and they are interested in taking this project to Shanghai and other places.
When would your project be internationalized?
Within six months. It’s our first project with online interactive services, multimedia. The school will be characterized by a whole new concept and that’s the reason why we have an outstanding architect, Tomas Gara, working with us to develop an avant-garde project, where professionals will always be in touch with the students, who are going to have live online courses with immediate answers to their questions. Just imagine, from a business approach, the profitability of receiving one hundred thousand Chinese visitors a day, with a cost of one or two euros; although teaching and spreading this knowledge is our main goal.
Spreading knowledge by means of social networks is a forward-looking approach.
The communication is great by means of social networks, but we want to spread our teachings with minimum cost. We’ll give a course for 15 students, very customized, with highly-qualified professionals and the latest information on each field, new course concepts, CDs, books, online courses where students can have access and receive direct responses from professionals.
Should the internship done by students be remunerated since day one?
No. The students pay a lot of money to come to our school. I think that a 6-month course costs 15 - 16 thousand euros. Those who come from abroad have to pay for their say, accommodation, food; they have to pay for everything. We only give them breakfast and the possibility to do their internship in such top-of-the-line restaurants as Celler de Can Roca, Los Hermanos Torres, in a select circuit.
Afterwards, if we believe that the students deserve it, we back them up at the school and their internship is not to be paid. Reaching these doors is not an easy task. We think that this is the way and the price to be paid for teaching. If they had to do the internship for a year or more and attend a school like ours, they would have to pay 40 - 50 thousand euros.
In fact, we have this slogan: “It’s not about money; you’ll be given the knowledge of 40 - 50 years of experience for free. What has been the economic cost? Just think about it.”
Do you think that Spain should foster and encourage university students to think of internship as a key element in their professional training?
Of course I do. That’s the way you can learn from important figures, without charging a penny. How much would you have to pay to be near the greatest talents of the world? It’s a priceless opportunity. In fact, I have, beyond the 15 applications for the course, waiting lists made up of 1,900 - 2 thousand students interested in doing their internship for free.
I have this curious anecdote with Makito, the pastry chef at Celler de Can Roca, which has been described as the finest restaurant on the planet, with three Michelin Stars. Makito sent so many curriculums that, since they are analyzed in order, he would’ve never been given the opportunity to do his internship here. One day he came to the school with a backpack. I was told: “There is a Japanese man interested in talking to you”. I went to the door and asked him his name: “I’m Makito. I’ve sent numberless emails and you have to accept me or I’ll stay right at the door of the school and I won’t leave”. So he did.
The lesson is very simple: if people come from Japan to do the internship and be near you for a year or two without getting paid, although they have been turned down or they cannot be accepted because there is no availability, but they keep on pushing; that speaks of their interest and you have to give them an opportunity.
How does your school work? What do you want to see on the application letter so as to accept the sender?
When they are welcomed in our school, the first thing they are told is that they are here so as to learn. Teaching them is our mission; it’s not an economic matter. If some people think that having a good economic status, which happens in 90 percent of the cases, will give them the opportunity to come here and kill some time, they are wrong because we’re not interested in that kind of students, no matter how much money they have.
The school’s philosophy aims at sharing the knowledge, so the pupils can learn. If they get motivated our mission is accomplished, because the school is not only about theory, it’s quite the contrary. We not only teach theory at scientific, technical and research levels, but practice is the proper complement so they can reach the perfection level with what they’ve seen.
So the cost is huge. Just think that if I make a cake and there are 15 students, 20 in this case because there is an exception this year and we have over 100, 20 pupils have to do the same. So there are 200 or 300 cakes and sometimes we don’t know what to do with them. That’s the reason why the cost is significant, because we unify theory, research and practice; they touch tangible things, they are not taught by means of a DVD. They make what they see. The students can work with the most sophisticated elements, but they begin from the base of knowledge.
Are those products you make in workshops sold in stores?
This is the first time we have a project to open a store where we can sell those products. None of the 5 or 6 stores we have in Spain will sell the same products we have here, because we change the menus every year, so the customers never find the same product. That’s the special characteristic of this store, because there are always new products. We give many of our products to different institutions, homes, but we’re now going to sell too.
Have you thought about opening a tasting store?
It’s nearly done. I believe that it’ll be ready by the time I go back home, after these 7 or 8 days in Cuba, which have been a sort of vacations and I’ll be back to work after these. I’ll travel to China so as to finish the project, because I can’t do several things at the same time. I focus my efforts in only one idea, with my team, and once it’s on track we start a new one. We’re all presently working on this project.
You’ve lived some days in Cuba, and I guess they’ve been different from the time spent by tourists …
Yes, I had learned a lot about Cuba by means of an economically important tourism network. I’ve traveled to the finest places, but the reality of Cuba I’ve seen with other eyes has nothing to do with what I thought. I always try to be ready when I travel. For example, before I go to Japan, I learn how to eat their food with chopsticks as a gesture.
When I came to Cuba I already knew its history, and I’ve watched it through the eyes of the Cuban people. I’ve always said that when you visit a country, the first thing you have to do is to get under the people’s skin. If you do it, if you learn the way they think, you’ll see the country through their own eyes; but if you just think that everything is going to be very comfortable, you’ll be wrong and you’ll never get to know the country.
The Excelencias Group wants to thank you for your presence in our Seminar and the contribution to the gastronomic culture of the country. What did you like the most about the contact with the students during your presentation?
I’ve seen great interest in learning and when I was explaining my A+B project, the vice-versa point and during the presentation of the Honoris Causa, the astonishment on their faces as they were learning about our things, the admiration in front of these products with such aesthetics, chromatic, colors; that’s when you feel that they are eager to learn, as they were asking us for the DVD. I believe that these young students are very interested, so we have to boost and encourage them.
I love the phrase: “you have to hit the ball when it comes to your hand, not when it goes away”. This is the moment to make the most of the strength of these young people and channel it, so they can do their best and think that this country is starting to live with great strength. I don’t know how long will completing the boil take, but I do believe that opportunities must be taken and young people have to do the most of them.
During your presentation you said that your family is the first thing in your life.
Yes, they are the most important ingredient.
What do your sons do? What’s their role in the company?
I’ve always said that the first thing you have to do in life is not to condition other people. People have to be what they want to be. I never told my sons to learn my profession, become pastry cooks or cooks; the oldest one, David, manages the company and Jacob has also chosen this world. Why? Because we have family conversations every day. The business made them love this profession as much as I do. In fact, they manage the business and I’m in charge of the schools with them.
If you ask me about an invoice, I’ll say that I have no idea. I only know that we have to pay, grow and create new ideas, new concepts and they prevail in my business.
Your son Jacob is a remarkable patisserie, just like you, and he also holds important world titles.
Jacob is Best Patissier of Spain, he is the world number two and he has great passion. He loves his job and being working with me. I believe that doing what you like and being happy are the most important things in life. It would be terrible to spend your life working in something you don’t like.
I’ve always said that the most important thing my profession has given me is the freedom to do what I want and be happy, without thinking about the economic matter. They manage the company in a different way because they have precisely taken courses on economy and other matters so as to do that, unlike Chelo and I. we didn’t need much.
I want to thank you for your time, your generosity to accompany us and come to this country, for being with us in Santiago de Cuba and I want to repeat that we are at your service with our media tools.
It’s been a great pleasure to meet you. It’s been a privilege to be here with you. I’ve had some immensely happy days, relaxed. You can always count on me and I’m also at your service.
