From working the fields in Argentina to being the Chef de Cuisine at Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Villas’ Maté restaurant, the chef shares his culinary journey.
Chef Mauro’s love affair with food started early in his childhood with all sides of his family rustling up some of the best, homemade Argentinian dishes for family get-togethers.
Studying agronomics, a branch of agriculture dealing with field-crop production and soil management, he then worked the fields of his father’s farm in his home country of Argentina, taking care of a herd of 800 cows and specialising in cattle feed and nutrition. “We always ate our own cows; we knew the source and what they were fed,” says Chef Mauro, whose father exported the cattle.
After working for his father for two years, Chef Mauro got the option to work for a large food company. However, travelling 400km to 500km on a daily basis took its toll, and after two years he returned to his home city of Bahia Blanca to work in several restaurants before, in 2006, heading to Europe where he reconnected with a childhood friend in Barcelona.
“My friend was chef in a restaurant frequented by British people; he offered me the position of Demi Chef. We offered cooking classes on how to create traditional Spanish dishes such as tapas and paella,” he says.
The classes, and the job, came to an abrupt end when the restaurant kitchen burned to the ground, forcing Chef Mauro to seek work at a restaurant near Barcelona Stadium, before running a tapas bar at Barcelona’s Apolo, famed for the notorious club night, ‘Nasty Mondays’.
But island life was calling and Chef Mauro headed to Mallorca, where he stayed for four years running his own seasonal restaurant next to the harbour. “I served fresh tapas and would buy freshly caught fish straight from the fishermen, but the constant quiet seasons became too much.”
Selling the restaurant in 2015, he then took up a position at Park Hyatt Mallorca, before relocating in November 2021 to Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Villas on Saadiyat Island to take care of Beach House where he dished up Mediterranean specialities.
“When the hotel decided to create an Argentinian concept restaurant, I was already there and was the perfect fit. After all I am Argentinian.”
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CHEF MAURO SANTARELLI
What or who inspired you to become a chef?
I love to eat, so food of course. Flavours also inspire me. I worked for three years in Indonesia where they use lots of spices, and I learned a lot about them; I respect such flavours. What also inspires me is the life that a chef can give you. You can travel around the world, discover different cultures in different places with no problems, and there is always a possibility to work in other countries.
Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
Mostly my family. Every single person in my family cooks very well. My mother is a great cook and when my father returns from the fields, especially on Sundays, and when he’s not firing up a typical asado Argentinian barbeque, which is meat grilled in its purest form, he makes us delicious homemade pasta. My grandmother makes great, homemade food at the weekends, such as pasta or empanadas. Even my brothers cook too.
What is your signature dish?
Anything cooked on the barbeque. In Argentina, cooking on a barbeque lasts up to three hours; during that time, you get to hang out with family and friends, talking, drinking an aperitif, eating cold cuts and empanadas while the food is grilling.
What are the most important considerations when crafting your menu?
First of all, I consider what I would like to cook and the diners for whom I am cooking. Working in different countries means I have to really consider the audience and, of course, the products that you can get in the country that you are living and working at that particular time. Last but not least, the team in the kitchen is also an important consideration.
Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
I love to have my personal menus, which at the top is beef from Argentina. I love good quality meat and good quality, fresh seafood and fish all of which always influences my menu.
How would you describe your cooking style?
Using good quality products cooked in the best way. You can then highlight the texture and quality of the products with unique flavours.
Do you have a favourite time of year or a set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
The world has changed and you can get any kind of product at any time of the year now. That said, whatever you can use that is seasonal, within that particular season, is going to be much more flavourful rather than using products that are out of season.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
The flames [on a barbeque].
What would you be doing if you were not a chef?
I would be working with my father in the fields in Argentina. In my childhood, I thought that was going to be the best for me.
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
My grandmother used to make fantastic empanadas, which she folded twice, filling them with meat, olives and so on. So, I enjoy eating this at home, as well as chicken liver risotto.
When are you happiest?
When I am surfing at the beach.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
The grill.
When you are not in the kitchen, where can you be found?
If I am not at home, you can find me on the beach.
Maté is open daily. Restaurant: 5pm to 11pm; Lounge 5pm to 1am (Sundays to Thursday); 5pm to 2am. (Fridays and Saturdays).
To reserve, call 02 407 1234
