Chef Chat: Playing Would You Rather with Juan Manuel Barrientos

Meet chef Juan Manuel Barrientos. He looks young and unassuming, but make no mistake: behind the sweet smile and boy next door charm is a man in full who, at the ripe age of 31, has reached greater heights than most of us can conceive. 

Barrientos staged at Juan Mari Arak’s eponymous restaurant in Spain, was named “Young Leader of Peace in Latin America” by the Colombian government, and currently has a restaurant, El Cielo, on San Pellegrino’s prestigious “50 Best Restaurants in Latin America” list. (There are three El Cielo restaurants in total: Medellin, Bogota, and Miami.) 

His creative style, which combines inspiration from Arzak and El Bulli with elements of neuroscience and the impact food has on human emotions, has generated interest worldwide, taking the form of full reservation rolls at all three restaurants and praise from and study by some of the world’s most distinguished universities. 

Later this month, Barrientos will be cooking for the first time at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival, the much-loved annual event celebrating all things culinary. We caught up with him to talk food, discuss Colombian politics, and play a round of Would You Rather?. Here’s what the chef had to say. [pagebreak]

You went to college but left at 19. If your child told you he wanted to be a chef, what would be your reaction?

I would have my kids be chefs when they are ten! They will be free to do what they please but they will definitely learn to cook from a very young age.

What’s the best thing about being Colombian?

Are you kidding me? Everyone that goes to Colombia wants to be Colombian! It’s the happiest country in the world. The only bad thing is asking for visas at the embassies; there is a misconception, since a lot of people think we are all drug dealers, that visas are hard to obtain.

In an interview with The New Times earlier this year, you said: ‘I’m trying to rescue and show the world my cuisine, Colombian cuisine.’ Can you explain that statement? What does it mean to “rescue” Colombian cuisine?

Colombia was taken from our hands – the citizens’ hands – by violence 60 years ago. We couldn’t go to the countryside or learn from the farmers. Now that Colombia lives in peace, we are starting to go where we couldn’t before and learn from our farmers and indigenous people, learn from their ancestral jungle knowledge. That’s what we are rescuing.

You’ve worked with wounded soldiers, were named a “Young Leader of Peace in Latin America” by the Colombian government, and recently posted this on your Instagram: “The war on drugs brought more drugs. The war against terrorism brought more terrorism. Maybe we should go to war against health and peace.” How did you get involved in politics and social issues? 

Everyone in Colombia has been touched by war, one way or another. I decided to be neither the victim nor the perpetrator, but the conscious peace builder, the one to change the game. [pagebreak]

Now to the less serious. Let’s play a few rounds of “Would You Rather.” Answer the following: 

Would you rather base jump or swim with sharks?

Both! Why not BASE jump and land in shark-infested waters then scuba dive?

Would you rather… date a genius or date a supermodel?

A supermodel because she will be the one dating the genius.

Would you rather babysit three-year-old twins or go to a Justin Bieber concert with a group of tween girls?

Both. I love kids and I have so much fun with them. The problem is that the three of us will be three-year-olds without parental supervision! In fact, my girlfriend is 19 and I go to the Justin Bieber concerts with her until she screams and passes out. She’s beautiful so the sacrifice is worth it just to see her happy.

Would you rather get lost in the Amazon or get lost in the dessert?  

I wouldn’t mind either. I’m adventurous so getting lost in a new place is part of the fun for me. I love experiencing real journeys. Actually, I think there would be more things to learn from the jungle.

Would you rather go a day without eating or a day without speaking? 

Eating. I already go days without food once a month to cleanse my body. I talk a lot!

Sticking with the lighter stuff, what’s the last book you read? 

The Art of Thinking (in Spanish) by Rolf Dobelli.

What’s your worst fear? 

I don’t have fears. My mother taught me yoga and meditation at the age 12. When you meditate, you learn to face your fears, overcome them, and eventually live without them.

Social media – love it or hate it?

I have a love/hate relationship.

What’s your favorite song…

…to drive to? mixes by Markus Schulz, Dimitri Vegas, Mike Armin.

…to cook to? Juan Luis Guerra’s El Niagara en Bicicleta. 

…to work out to? any mix by Markus Schulz, Dimitri Vegas, Mike Armin.

…to, you know, to? Enya’s Caribbean Blue.