Writer: Tan Yifan

It was a cool November evening when chef Marcelo Urresti lit a fire in his pan as a way to finish cooking the main course for us at Belle-Vue restaurant of Grand Hyatt Shenzhen in Luohu District. It was a visual treat that Urresti insisted upon for his guests. Besides the lingering flavors in their mouths and spreading sensation of contentment, Urresti believes the guests will walk away from the meal with a better idea of the way chefs deal with food.

Marcelo Urresti

Urresti, a young Bolivian with a bachelor's degree in engineering, makes small changes to his recipes from time to time, aiming to carter to his diners.

"With the development of the economy and technology, people are expanding their knowledge about the world as well as food. In fact, they are very into food. They want to know what they are eating and are eager to communicate with chefs, which requires us to keep up with their 'pace'" said Urresti.

Urresti demonstrates tableside cooking.

Born in a Spanish Bolivian family, Urresti said he was influenced by the passion for cooking exuded by both of his parents. But neither of them had ever expected him to work in the culinary business.

"I never thought of myself becoming a cook. Although I didn't like my parents'  idea of becoming an engineer and working with my sister, who is an architect, working in a kitchen wasn't in my career plan," he said.

After struggling to find the right path for himself, Urresti was convinced by a friend to join a cooking class. And soon he found he was fond of it.

"It was at the culinary school that I met a chef who came to join an international chefs' summit. As his assistant I was inspired by his words. He told me to study abroad because my school couldn't provide the skills and equipment that I needed," Urresti said.

To pursue his goal, Urresti started traveling and received intensive training in Argentina for two and a half years and won an internship in Spain. Before heading to Spain, he had short internships at a famed New York restaurant and the Michelin three-star restaurant Ryu Gin in Tokyo. Urresti’s journey in the gourmet hotel business started in Dubai and four months ago he relocated to Shenzhen, which he said is a fusion of different cuisines.

In order to adapt to the tastes of guests and locals, Urresti said he tried to find the right balance among the ingredients and flavors.

"Tableside cooking is popular among the restaurants that I have worked with. It allows me to understand more about the guests' needs and pass the message of fine dining to them," Urresti said.

Urresti added that what he has done and is doing are all out of his passion for cooking. Sometimes all he finds are long days of hard work ahead but he doesn't feel frustrated, because "the No. 1 quality of becoming a good chef is to love what you do."

Editor: Vince Xie