The key to Juan Mari Arzak's cuisine success

Basque chef Juan Mari Arzak has been one of the main stars of the latest congress on cuisine Madrid Fusión. It is been three decades since he joined his namesake family restaurant in Donostia-San Sebastián and he is still on the track while many of his partners have quit the art of cooking.

The Basque&' || 'nbsp; chef has revealed the key to his success: humility, curiosity, closeness, contact with the street and perfection at work.

Juan Mari Arzak considers himself to be privileged given that he inherited his mother''s restaurant, a fact that allowed him to "be very anarchist." As he says, "I always did just as I pleased."

His habitual and appraised closeness to customers, though it may seem strange, has caused him problems sometimes because there have been people who did not expect Arzak''s close and friendly treatment.

The economic crisis has left its print on high cuisine restaurants. To face it, Arzak suggests expanding the market "because it''s impossible to go on only with the internal business." Furthermore, he stressed that it is necessary that prices must not rise exorbitantly.

The Basque cook wants to keep on working: "I''ll stay inside the kitchen until I can, even in a wheelchair in case my legs fail me."
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