Joaquín Schmidt
An old vinyl as a plate. This one is by Alfred Brendel. Piano Sonata No. 17
in D Minor Op. 31. 'The Tempest’. Beethoven. Everything in here has a
touch of surrealism and magic that surrounds the chef with his black shirts
and white hair, his gentle eyes and eternal smile. Xoel López plays in the
background. Sometimes it is Édith Piaf, and sometimes The Beatles or Zaz.
There is room for all of them. But what is certain is that there will always
be music. Music in all its variations. Just like Joaquin: open-minded, free,
unconstrained. Just like his cuisine and his restaurant; the way he lives and
thinks. Between el Bulli and Viridiana; between the Mediterranean, Paris,
and Berlin; between nostalgia and fresh creativity; between the intimate
and the universal. Because, even if time leaves its mark, Joaquin never
ceases to reinvent himself, to get excited, to be passionate about things...
He does not compromise; he does not give up on being happy. Happy in
his own way: with an apron, among tables and with the friends who sit
around them. Actually, anyone who walks into his restaurant instantly
becomes his friend from the moment they step over the threshold and he
will treat them as such: foams, spherifications, curried bananas and
chocolate with mascletà; oil that is the soul of the olive grove, bread that
is truly crusty, perfect cooking, the mastery of the alchemist, the maturity
of the child, the sensitivity of the poet who macerates life. It is the menu
of a chef who rose, fell, took a deep breath, and started to walk again;
relishing his world and his people. An ingenious and resourceful fellow,
uncomplicated and unique, intuitive, and personable. He is the boundless
dreamer who guards this magical place where a little boy runs along the
walls and a cucumber rides a bicycle, with winks to Picasso, Warhol, and
Duchamp. In this restaurant a wide-eyed siphon welcomes you, the record
player is a baking tray and a giant potato full of holes, painted by his
beloved friend Joan, presides over the main dining room. Flavoured
moments, poached emotions, and candied generosity. Schmidt, the place
where the hen is ArtCrem. Joaquin, the chef who makes music resonate in
your palate. An old vinyl as a plate.
Jesus Trelis. July 2020.
