Instant Alumni - Focus on Catalan haute cuisine with Raquel Pallares Cos (2021)

What a pleasure to meet Raquel Pallares Cos (2021) again, after having left Institut Paul Bocuse just one year ago. From a shy and reserved young lady, she has become a confident woman who comes back to us after 8 months as an intern in the three-starred restaurant of the Can Roca brothers in Girona (Spain), to talk to the 1st year Bachelor International Management of Culinary Arts students.

 Originally from Belgium, of Spanish parents, Raquel has led her student life with dedication and determination. Her hard work and attitude made an impression on her superiors as early as her first internship in Barcelona at the Mandarin Oriental's Moments restaurant (2 stars) as a Chef de Partie. And it was with great determination that she obtained her final internship at the Celler de Can Roca in Girona, for her THE emblematic and inspiring restaurant that she dreamed of joining in her first year at Institut Paul Bocuse.

"The Celler de Can Roca is a galaxy of stories, composed by the three brothers Joan (kitchen), Josep (sommelier) and Jordi (pastry). They draw their strength from their family values, through their unique approach and kindness to the teams, they ensure our well-being so that we can give the best of ourselves. Working in a three-star restaurant requires high standards, rigour, respect for processes and a certain resistance to stress.

I experienced the full range of emotions from the first three months in the pastry kitchen, "a world of carefree dreams", to the next three months in the meat section, where I panicked the first few days because of the pressure, but was quickly reassured by Josep, who took the time to listen to me and reassure me, to the last two months in the snack bar, where I was one of the most confident interns.

Before the end of my internship, when I had already been promised a job in a gastronomic restaurant in France, I was surprised that the Can Roca brothers offered me a full-time job, as only three of the 40 interns were selected for the season.”

In two weeks’ time, Raquel will take up the post of Chef de Partie at the new 'Normal restaurant' of the El Celler de Can Roca company in Girona. She is happy to be part of a smaller team and to prepare dishes from scratch.

 No doubt Raquel will be part of the Can Roca family for a few more years before she goes her own way in business. By then she will have mastered traditional Catalan cuisine and will be able to create her own special style in Spain.

 For this last hour of class before their exams and internships, the 1st year Bachelor in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management students appreciated Raquel's advice, her honesty and her joie de vivre!