Do you know the Mirazur restaurant in Menton, France? Opened in 2006 and awarded 3 stars in the Michelin Guide, it was voted the best restaurant in the world in 2019.
With the help of one of our guests, our chef Leo Bramajo was able to discover this exceptional restaurant.
Throughout the month of June, Leo will work alongside the Italian-Argentinean chef Mauro Colagreco, elected in 2019 best chef in the world; and Vice President Chefs of the Relais & Châteaux Association since 2023.
A fantastic opportunity for Leo to learn, discover new culinary approaches, and come back to Estancia el Colibri Relais & Châteaux with new ideas and practices, with the objective of constantly improving our culinary offer.
Leo also had the incredible opportunity to accompany the Mirazur team on a week-long trip to Greece, where he showcased his culinary expertise by preparing delicious Argentinean asados for an internationally renowned brand.
A SHARED COMMITMENT TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT
It was important to us to collaborate with a responsible and committed restaurant, and it is therefore a great honor for Leo and our entire team to collaborate with the Mirazur, a restaurant that shares our Relais & Châteaux values of respect and protection of the environment.
Indeed, the Mirazur was the very first restaurant in the world to obtain the “Plastic Free” certification. Mauro Colagreco is committed to a cuisine that respects nature, with vegetables from their garden, fish from the Mediterranean Sea, and meat and dairy products produced locally, all while respecting the temporality of the products.
Likewise, at Estancia el Colibri Relais & Châteaux we only work with local, organic, and seasonal products. Most of the products we use – meat, milk, cheese, eggs, fruit, vegetables and aromatic herbs – come from our organic farm.
Thus, we offer our guests a fresh cuisine, transformed on-site and which sublimates the recipes and products of the Argentinean soil.
INTERVIEW WITH LEO
The Mirazur was elected world’s best restaurant in 2019. How was the experience of working in such a prestigious restaurant?
Leo: Working for a month at Mirazur was a wonderful experience, thanks to which, in addition to being able to see the best level of world gastronomy, I was able to see, learn and understand, how they are organized and the work that is carried out day by day for them to get that final result.
Starting with the large group of professionals and above all human beings who demonstrate constant commitment and professionalism in each task they have to carry out, from those who do the simplest tasks to Mauro himself.
I had the chance to see how they work with their gardens, the reception of raw materials and the respect they have for them, their commitment to the environment, and the great work they constantly do to improve this commitment. I was able to see the amazing work done by each area, which then collectively achieves the result that can be seen in each dish that is served on the restaurant table.
What understandings do you plan to bring to Estancia el Colibri R&C and what do you want to implement here after your exchange at Mirazur?
Leo: I am going to try to apply as much of this learning as possible in the day-to-day life of our kitchen, especially the organization and ways of working that I could see. I’m seeking to further improve the optimization of the use of our garden, and also the respect to sustainability and care for the environment. This is a job that we have been doing at the Estancia, but there are always things to improve.
El Mirazur was the first restaurant in the world to receive the “Plastic Free” certification. Is it a source of inspiration for El Colibri R&C?
Leo: Surely yes, but I think it shouldn’t just be for El Colibrí, but for everyone in general. It is very important that we can all become aware of the consequences that the excessive use of plastics brought to our planet, and that if we do not make a radical change on this issue right now, the damage we have caused to our planet will end up being irreversible…
I know that it is very difficult, especially in our region, to be able to achieve this, not only because of a matter of attitude but also because of a matter of resources. But working to use the least amount of plastic on a day-to-day basis is a challenge that we should all embrace in order to achieve a real change…
At El Colibrí, as I mentioned before, we have been working on this issue for a long time and after this experience, I will try to convey as best as possible what I saw in Mirazur, in order to improve even more on this issue.
Many thanks to Mauro Colagreco and all his teams for welcoming our chef Leo to the Mirazur!
Leo went back to Argentina on June 28th, with new knowledge and a great desire to share it.
In fact, all the Relais & Châteaux chefs from Latin America will meet for the first time in Peru at the end of August. Leo will be delighted to tell them about his journey during this event.
