This summer, Pablo Naranjo Agular came to visit the new Le Cordon Bleu Paris campus, “Chefs Disneyland” as he likes to refer to it in his interview. Pablo gave us his impressions of the new institute, its equipment and what he now thinks of the school in which he studied cuisine. Having returned to India, to work alongside one of our alumna, the extremely talented Pooja Dhingra, he tells us about their partnership.
Interview with Pablo Naranjo Agular
Pablo, brillant cuisine chef
Why and how did you start to learn cuisine?
I started learning cuisine when I was little cooking with my grandmothers. Both of them are the source for my inspiration! With them, I learned how cooking with love can create magical moments around a table.
What are your plan for the future?
My plan for the future is pretty simple and complicated at the same time. The only thing I can wish for is to be able to create feelings and emotions through my food for the people around me as long as I can.
You started a collaboration with Pooja, our alumna, sometimes ago, can you tell us more about this?
Last year, I received a call from Pooja Dhingra, she was almost yelling telling me that she found an amazing place in south Bombay and that she wanted me to come by and help her create a café. The project was very tempting, so I offered to come as a consultant for a couple of months. I left Paris in December and, from the very beginning, we started this project together. This was something I had never experienced before! Just seeing an empty place become something as beautiful as we have now is like magic. From designing the menu with her, to all the job interviews and absolutely everything… it started feeling like if we had created a house with a beautiful family living there, which is our team. All of this, mixed with the cultural richness and the delight of working with such a talented person as Pooja, made my decision very easy. I just moved to India a couple of weeks ago to keep working with her. We’ve found such an amazing balance not only by the fact that I am a cuisine chef and she is a pastry chef, but she is so hard working and she pushes herself so hard to achieve everything she has in mind, that it is really motivating and it makes it easy to work with her. Ideas just flow in between us and in the end, we always manage to have a perfect blend of both our cultures.
What advice would you give to the current students to succeed in their studies and professional life?
My only advice would be a very simple one: cook only if that is what makes you really happy on a sad day, and work harder than anyone else to achieve whatever you wish for!
Your visit at Le Cordon Bleu Paris new campus
You came to visit Le Cordon Bleu Paris new campus this summer. What did you think?
I was completely amazed by the installations, kitchens, materials and the garden on the roof. Basically, I am very jealous of all the new students!
You studied in 2008 at the previous Le Cordon Bleu school on rue Delhomme street, what did you feel while discovering the new institute?
It is incredible to see Le Cordon’s Bleu progress over the years. I feel very happy that the new students will have the privilege to actually work and study in such a wonderful place. Whenever I was there, I felt like I was in a playground, like the Disneyland for chefs!
What did you like the most and what surprised you the most during your tour?
Basically, everything! You guys have done an amazing work. I think that the last thing there is left to say is: CONGRATULATIONS!
