Mauro Colagreco: "Young Chefs, Nourish Your Passion"

Mauro Colagreco's French riviera restaurant Mirazur clocks up an impressive 10 years this year with a series of guest chef dinners that pay testament to the Italo–Argentinian's determination, consistency and respect earnt from professional peers.

With two Michelin stars and at #6 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, he is a formidable force on the fine dining circuit with the promise of more accolades to come.

This year Colagreco takes on the additional role of judge, as one of the Seven Sages responsible for selecting the most talented young chef in the world to be crowned S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016. Here's what he had to say ahead of the event.

What advice would you offer to the young chefs of today?
Nourish your passion and keep on doing what you love even when it’s hard.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given to you?
Once, one of my teachers at Lycée Hôtelier in La Rochelle told me: “A good cook is someone who can promptly find solutions no matter what the problem is.”

Tell us about a time when you remember making a mistake as a young chef: what happened, where were you working and what did you learn?
When I was working at Arpege I burned out a whole turbot. The only turbot we had that night. I learned to never let something cook without control, always checking.

What do you miss most about being a young chef?
The right to fail.

What do you think is the most valuable skills young chefs today lack?
Patience. Today everything is fast and this also reflects in kitchens. We need to remember and teach patience.

This year was a big celebration with your 10th anniversary at Mirazur. What have been some of the highlights for you in those 10 years?
Clearly the second Michelin star, the title of “chef of the year” for the guide Gault & Millau, the sixth place in the 50 Best Restaurants in the World...

What are your plans for the future?
Three Michelin stars!