Cooking up a childhood dream with Chef Juanma Barrientos.

The Accutron Show

On this episode of The Accutron Show, our hosts cook up an interesting conversation with Colombian chef, entrepreneur and speaker, Juanma Barrientos. With more than twelve restaurants, bars and clubs, Juanma is the creator and founder of restaurant chain Elcielo (Medellín, Bogotá, Miami). He was invited by former President Barack Obama to the World Entrepreneurship Summit and started his own foundation to teach the art of cooking to soldiers wounded in combat, ex-guerrillas and indigenous people. Juanma joins us to talk about his business, his dreams and also a very special event taking place in Miami with Italian maestro chef, Massimo Bottura. Bon appetit!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

4:21 When I was a kid, I loved fire. I lit up fires in the countryside so we could hang with my family and friends and watch the stars. One day I took some potatoes, cut them, put them in a pot and I put the pot on the fire. They were a disaster of course, but I managed to "sell" them to my family - though nobody ate. It is a nice memory since I think of it as the start of my entrepreneurial skills.

12:00 The core concept behind what I do is bringing traditional Colombian cuisine into fine dining through creativity. We take inspiration from dishes, preparations, traditions, landscapes, stories and ingredients and create a fine dining experience.

26: 00 My parents never taught us any religion; they taught us yoga, meditation and social work. So when I started my venture with Elcielo, I also set out to help people in need; and especially soldiers that were mutilated by land mines. I help them by teaching them the art of cooking.