Delicooks

My dream is having a garden!

Eva Arguiñano, one of the country's most famous chefs, tells us of her passion for the kitchen and her projects

Open, honest and and a lively conversationalist, Eva Arguiñano is exactly the same in real life as she is on the small screen. With her trademark, effortless charm, this Basque cook has brought her culinary know-how into thousands of homes. She debuted on TVE with her famous brother Karlos and later went solo with hit programs such as Hoy cocinas tú (La Sexta) and Cocina con sentimiento (Antena 3). Now she combines her work as head pastry chef at the Hotel Restaurante Karlos Arguiñano with her TV work and the Aiala Cookery School in Zarauz. And she hasn’t stopped there: she has also ventured into books: Eva Arguiñano Pastries, Sweets, Desserts, to name but a few... Browse the bookstores and you are sure to find some of her popular books, packed with sweet and savory recipes.

Do you remember how you started out in the kitchen?
I was very young. I wasn’t a great student at school and I started helping in my brother’s restaurant. I soon became interested in baking and I gradually learned more and more.

What about television?
That was also thanks to my brother Karlos. On La cocina de cada día  I started developing dessert recipes and soon gained confidence. At first I had panic attacks. I had to breathe deeply several times to calm down or I was unable to go onto the set. Luckily now I feel much calmer and more confident.

Where do you feel better, on the TV set or in the restaurant kitchen?
They are very different worlds. On the one hand, I like the anonymity of my work in the restaurant. But I also love to communicate. It's like a coin with two sides ... and I love both.

Spanish cuisine has become trendy. Why do you think that is? Is it the ingredients? The cooks?
Like everything else, you can’t have one without the other. Farmers, fishermen, cheesemakers ... all are very important and we all go together. They are developing in their sector and we along with them. It is true that in the kitchen there was a significant movement in the seventies with people bringing an enormous amount of enthusiasm to cooking, but alongside them there were also people from other sectors who were just as ambitious. Things are never down to a single individual, although if there is a clear leader or someone with a very clear vision, it makes it easier for the rest of us to follow. Everything goes hand in hand.


Do you cook at home?
Of course! And I also do all the shopping. I try to eat everything, especially vegetables and soups and stews. I love variety in food and everything has a place in my daily diet.

And when you’re not cooking ... Do you have hobbies or play sports?
When I was younger I loved to run but I must confess that I don’t play any sports now. I like long walks, I enjoy nature and the company of friends and neighbors.

It seems that you are always in good spirits. Is there anything you dislike?
Back pain ...Which I try to hold off by practicing stretching and taking long walks.

Any projects on the horizon?
Just to continue telling beautiful and exciting stories on my new program on Antena 3.

And a dream?
Having a garden!