Dani García's culinary empire: Tradition, teamwork, and a touch of tomato

Ever since he was a kid, Dani Garcia experienced cooking at home in a very amateur way. His parents and grandmother, all were great cooks, and everything in the Garcia household revolved around a table—going out to buy oil or picking up asparagus in the countryside—very much the kind of things people who appreciate their culture and traditions do.

That is how Dani's passion awakened. Now, with multiple Michelin stars to his name, he is among the greatest names in the culinary world. His famous Smoked Room in Madrid has found its way here in Dubai where we caught up with him to learn about his cooking philosophy.

"I think it is because of my family that I love cooking so much," said Garcia, who earned his first Michelin star at 25. "Everything I had in my head has come true. We’ve done what I truly had in mind and wanted to do. So, in that sense, I’m happy."

We further discussed Garcia's role in 'casualising' Spanish cuisine, his concepts in Dubai, and the city's culinary scene. Edited excerpts from the interview:

It’s a matter of teamwork. I believe that when a company starts to grow, what it needs are the best people around you so that your philosophy and way of seeing things translate into the kitchen and the service aspect. In that sense, I am quite insistent and try to surround myself with the best people who can convey that. This includes everyone who works directly with me in the office, those travelling, and the staff in the restaurants. There’s no other way. There’s no magic wand that suddenly makes all your dishes come out the same everywhere. It’s a human issue, and what we try to do is have a back of house with recipes, costings, preparations, and everything that is a bit more solid so that everyone can understand it. With all the tools we have and provide to the team, and with a good team, it can be done.

The scene has changed radically in recent years. I remember coming a long time ago, and the only truly interesting place was Zuma. I think it laid the groundwork for something really interesting on a culinary level. Since then, I believe that over the last three to four years, it has evolved very quickly and impressively. Since it’s a city I know well, it was quite exciting to have both concepts here. So, I foresee a promising future, I hope. In many cases, in situations like this, the city becomes one where every restaurant company wants to be, which can lead to an over-saturation of concepts. I hope that doesn’t happen, and I hope there’s enough audience to support everyone, solidifying both Leña and Smoked Room in that sense. The culinary level today compared to Dubai five, six, or ten years ago is completely different.

Well, honestly, I think there’s still a long way to go before I truly feel proud. I believe we’re taking steps to try to internationalise the brand, but that relationship is difficult—not something tremendously easy. I don’t yet feel that we’re a strong enough brand outside to feel proud. I think there’s a lot of work ahead; there are many things we need to do well in order to truly feel proud of what we’ve done outside of Spain. Ultimately, within Spain, it’s much simpler—you’re from there, you’re native, you’ve grown up here, and everyone knows your journey from the last 25 years… but outside, it’s not like that. So starting from scratch is a constant grind, and as I said, I still believe there’s much to be done.

Well, it’s something that matters a lot to me. When you visualise a concept, you’re not just thinking about the food but the entire environment—what it is, where and how it will be served, how the display will look, the menu, the interior design… I believe these are fundamentally important elements. A concept is essentially a closed circle, where one point starts to draw the circle and another point brings it to a close, and those points must match. If you don’t close that circle properly, things slip away, and certain details are lost that prevent the concept from being truly cohesive.

Honestly, it’s something I’ve never thought about, nor do I want to think about, and it’s not really my main goal. I believe I’ve done enough over the years to feel proud of what I’ve achieved. For example, seeing that today any young person can create modern cuisine, not just in Andalusia but even outside, and think they can make a gazpacho or a gazpachuelo—sure, it’s much easier now, but when we made the first cherry gazpacho back in 1998, many years have passed, and it still feels modern today. There are many dishes like that, and I’m incredibly proud that they’re used naturally today since those were my beginnings. I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than that. But I also don’t fight or work every day thinking about leaving a legacy. Eventually, sooner or later—more sooner than later—everything has its cycle and its moment, just as high cuisine had its time for me. I’ve done enough in that more casual part of my life and established enough brands to be able to grow peacefully. Obviously, one day I will leave, as I said, sooner than later. I believe that leaving at the right time is a victory; I did it in the kitchen, and now in this cycle, the moment will come when I do it again.

It’s a truly complex answer because, in the end, the concept requires a series of situations and a variety of products that, in many cases, we have to bring in from outside. For example, while sheep butter can be produced in a very sustainable way and the tuna we use is probably the most sustainable fishing method in the world, we still need to bring them in. I can’t answer you in a vague way and say many things that are half-true, as that would be misleading. It’s not an easy place to respect all of this because, ultimately, we need—and the concept itself needs—a range of products that have to come from outside. Not only that, but many of the things we need, we try to source responsibly, always applying common sense to everything we do because we’re doing something very serious: providing food. But there are certain limits because, as I said, the concept requires a series of elements that you can’t skip over and that you have to use, and perhaps in those cases, there aren’t more sustainable solutions that are viable for the concept. So, it’s a good question, but as I said, it comes with a more complex and perhaps less interesting answer than what many people would like to hear.

Well, I always think that young people have a harder time being creative than we did in my time. We live in an era where I believe social media has harmed creativity a lot because it makes things too easy, and in the end, your thinking isn’t the same. Back in the late '90s, when you started cooking, there was no internet, no social media… I only had books, and I spent all my money on my travels to see what others were doing. So, in a way, I was forced to be creative in a much more natural way because I didn’t have those resources.

You could say there was no other option. I think that to create, you have to try to be yourself as much as you can. And today, that’s difficult when you have a ton of things at your fingertips that are tools that make life easier in one way, but on the other hand, they also take away some of your brilliance and creativity. The true message, because I wouldn’t even dare to call it advice, is to try to be yourself, as Ferran Adrià used to say. Basically, many want to be on TV one day and become relatively famous, but there are more important things; if you do it well, all of that will come sooner or later, without getting caught up in the dynamic of wanting to be something you’re not.

Well, I try to use a variety of ingredients, but I do have certain quirks—like with coconut. Even though I have a bit of a dislike for it and it’s not one of my favourite ingredients, I do use it. I use it for a very simple reason: I don’t cook just for myself, but for a lot of other people, and we have a very broad audience. So, it’s a matter of making things for everyone and not avoiding an ingredient just because you don’t like it. Then there’s one ingredient I love and am fascinated by, which is tomato. I absolutely adore tomatoes and their many varieties, from the most acidic to the sweetest. Honestly, I don’t think I could have created my cuisine without tomatoes.