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Santiago native Rodolfo Guzman studied with culinary masters in Spain before returning to Chile. In 2007, he opened Boragó, a progressive restaurant that sources endemic ingredients from as far away as Easter Island to create new dishes constantly. On November 15, Chef Guzman was in Los Angeles to promote Chilean cuisine. He prepared a multi-course meal with John Rivera Sedlar, and afterwards, provided insights into his approach.

JL: How do you feel about signature dishes, dishes that don’t leave a menu and a restaurant becomes known for?

RG: People recognize some things, but it goes real quick. We want to do many dishes. We don’t want to be only delicious. We understand, per se, if you try a tasting menu, sometimes it’s going to be strange, sometimes it’s going to be weird, sometimes it’s going to be very provocative. Sometimes it’s going to be delicious, and emotional, if you like. Unknown, and sometimes it can be unagreeable, but it’s part of a game, part of the way it is, without prejudices. That’s what we are, and we want to show it that way. The food has to be naked.

JL: Is there anything you don’t enjoy eating?

RG: Not at all. My taste has been changing a lot because we’ve been in nature trying things, things I haven’t tried before, raw things with very strong flavors, it’s the most wonderful experience of my life. It’s amazing.

JL: Easter Island, wow.

RG: Yeah, that’s Chile. It’s wild and the edge of the world. It’s different.

JL: What did you parents do for work when you were growing up?

RG: They were in the printing business, like normal people, but not involved with the kitchen. Well, my mother was a great cook.

JL: Do you do any versions of her dishes that you had growing up?

RG: More than dishes, flavors, that I have here. Food is about memory too. Sometimes you get new flavors from things that you know, in our case, things you’ve got to learn to understand your environment, where you come from. Sometimes, obviously, you’ve got memory and you’ve got to see that too.

JL: What do you look for when you’re hiring somebody to work in your kitchen?

RG: Passion. That’s it. It doesn’t matter, all of the abilities, I don’t care. We teach abilities in the kitchen, so people learn, but passion comes within somebody.

JL: How do you maintain balance in your life?

RG: Spend time with my family, my two kids, they’re fantastic. My wife. That’s my balance.

JL: Is there a person you’ve never cooked with before who you’d like to cook with?

RG: I’ve got to be honest. There are so many cooks out there, so many of them, but Antoni [Luis] Aduriz, the chef from Mugaritz, is somebody that you want to have in your kitchen. I had him, last March, at the restaurant. All the Mugaritz team, I had them for our fifth anniversary. So they worked with us, cooking a menu. So it’s already done. I’m so lucky to have them in our kitchen.

JL: Wow, what an honor.

RG: We are so lucky.

JL: What would you like to be known for as a chef?

RG: To be honest, I don’t want to be known as myself. I don’t believe in myself. The cuisine in Borago is not done with one person. The team is big behind me, and I would like to be known as a team, as a great restaurant that’s unique on earth that’s different.