Jorge Monopoli

Hello Jorge, thanks for coming.

Shall we prepare some mates?
— Yes, go ahead.

Congratulations on your new Restó, the Kalma family is growing.
— Yes, we are really happy, it has been many years of very hard work.

At what point did you say “I have to put my Restó”?
—My ex-partner and I had a big house and I used to prepare meals there. I actually worked quite a bit, but I felt like I needed a change on a personal and professional level.
I closed my eyes and said “I’m going to open Kalma Restó”.

“A chef becomes an artist when he has things to say through his dishes, like a painter in a painting.”
               Joan Miró

Was it hard like every beginning?
— Phew, it was more than that, it was really hard, ha ha ha (laughs). I didn't have much money, well, actually I didn't have any money, ha ha ha (laughs). With the help of friends and family, my madness began. I was absolutely convinced it was going to be a success; in my head, everything was set up for it to be that way. I wanted people to know about it, to make my passion and feelings for cooking reflected in every part of the restaurant. I wanted it to be very hard-working, and it was. The chairs are made with my hands, the painting, etc. There I learned a little bit of everything: electricity, plumbing, masonry. Desire teaches you a lot.

A great time with Jorge and Ariel drinking mate until the end, as if they had known each other their whole lives.

Is that widely transmitted?
— Yes, of course, people notice, the restaurant that a chef built and that an architect built, and that's what I wanted “Kalmita” As I say, so people can see the passion.

And was that how you imagined it in your head?
— The first few months were critical, when I first opened, I remember a couple of tourists passing by the sidewalk, around 7 p.m., they came in, I was delighted and said: “This is going to work out great.”. Well, it was the only couple that came in for weeks.
My head kept thinking, I had the responsibility of paying the cooks, rent and other expenses, some friends told me to sell pizzas, that “they come out great”, and I still refused. I didn't bet that much to sell pizzas at a nice restaurant—no, no, we kept betting and nothing happened. Until a friend who worked at the port called me and got me a group of Filipinos to give me the food.
That relaxed me a little and without thinking it began to take shape, it was just a matter of time and perseverance.

And in the most difficult moment in the kitchen, what do you use as a pillar?
—How stubborn and hard-headed I am, ha, ha, ha, (laughs)… I'm going to work tirelessly to make it happen.

How do you handle shopping?
— I try to buy as much local produce as possible. I used to buy meat from this supplier. Now, a new butcher shop has opened two blocks from the restaurant. He's a guy who's been doing well and was able to open his own shop. Well, now I buy the meat from him. I know I'm going to pay double, but the fact that a restaurant, which is quite important these days, motivates him to strive for quality and a good product.
The same thing happens to me with the fishermen, from whom I buy lettuce in Andorra. That's what I want for myself and I try to take the restaurant concept in that direction!

How do you define the word “chef”?
— Wow, that's a big word... I think we earned it with hard work and hours in the kitchen.
Traveling too?
- Yes of course.  

What do you think is essential for a chef to have?
— A vocation, but a vocation that's as hard as it gets. To be able to reproduce a dish, you have to transmit it with passion and love. These are qualities that not everyone possesses.

A chef can build and manage a team, but it might be a little more difficult for a cook. They also need to know how to delegate, train, and transfer knowledge.

And is that also achieved with a good team?
- Definitely.

“You can have people working for you…
or you can form a work team.”  
               Jorge Monopoli

“First of all, a constant source of fire is necessary. Then, a constant supply of boiling water. Then, a floor that is always clean. Also, appliances for cleaning, grinding, slicing, peeling, and dicing. And also music, for men work better and more joyfully where there is music.” Cooking Notes by Leonardo Da Vinci

Do you like to share all your knowledge?
— Yes, no way, there are chefs who don't give you anything, not even a recipe.

And why do you think that might be? Would we be entering the realm of insecurity?
— Absolutely, and I think everyone has to have their own personal touch. You can make the same dish, use the same ingredients, and the same pan, and it won't turn out the same.

Since we're talking about competition, how do you get along with your colleagues?
— I have a very good relationship with some, and not so much with others, perhaps because of my concept or way of thinking about my business. Some close a lot, while others don't.

Do you attribute that to insecurity?
— Absolutely. Look, the good thing would be if tourists come to Ushuaia and stay for seven days, you know you can't expect them to dine in one restaurant for seven days and tell them, as I do with some, "Look, go dine somewhere else, you'll eat really well."

From the cooperative side?
— Absolutely, because that's going to come back.

What do you think the city is missing, or how could we chefs join forces to give back to it, something that has given us so much?
— It would be good to try to get space for a greenhouse just so we can have more products, which are so hard for us to get. We can produce them ourselves, from here.  It would be perfect, we have many producers from outside, but sometimes we fall short or we could have more varieties. 

What a great idea!

Thanks Jorge, see you in these days at
the reopening of Kalma.

It doesn't get any fresher than this. Jorge picking vegetables to prepare the day's salad.

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