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Her experience in psychology kind of shaped her view of food. The chef believes that gastronomy goes beyond techniques and ingredients and is capable of building bonds and promoting social change. And that's just one of her most striking characteristics.
Gabriela Guerriero began her professional career in psychology, but has always had a special relationship with cooking. During a therapy session, her own psychologist suggested that she consider gastronomy. The idea made sense, and soon Gabriela made the decision to change careers completely. But that wasn't all.
Currently in charge of the menu at the Paloma restaurant in São Paulo, Gabriela comes from a family with Italian origins. She started cooking around the age of 7, as a family hobby. However, as the years went by, her passion only grew, albeit without a professional goal.
The change only really came after her psychologist suggested that she had a vocation for gastronomy. From that moment on, she decided it was time to drop out of college and start a new one, this time to become a chef.
This decision was even embraced by her mother, who was the one who encouraged her to start a degree in gastronomy. With her new degree, she soon started internships and a successful career, especially due to her ability to never stand still.
One of the starting points for Gabriela was a competition that took her to France for a few months. There, she had contact with a more traditional world of cooking.
This period abroad gave her a new background, including more critical issues in the profession. "The question of hierarchy there is very big. There's also the question of age. Sometimes you have to be a certain age to move up. So I think that here you can, with your talent and dedication, be seen more, like this, be recognized more for who you really are, not just for the role you play in the restaurant," she says, when asked about the cultural differences.
She also points out that the structure outside the country often comes out on top. But Brazilians win on the human factor. "It 's not every restaurant here that has a Thermomix, that has a super blender. That requires a bit more from the cook, right? So, on that point, I think they win in terms of investment in materials. But I think Brazilians have a sense of humor and empathy with others. But despite this Brazilian quality, she points out that some challenges are present everywhere.
The daily pressure of a chef is one example. Their work usually involves much more than just cooking. She points out that the professional needs to be prepared to deal with staff, management and also criticism.
And that's where therapy comes in again. Gabriela even jokes that practically everyone should do it. But in her case, it's a mechanism for dealing mainly with perfectionism and the chance of failure, even though all the criticism has been more positive in her experience. "I always try to understand that I'm a human being, that I'm going to fail, I'm going to make mistakes and I'm also going to get things right, many times. So it's always about having that balance of understanding that there are days when criticism can happen, whether it's superficial or not."
She also explains that a lot of things end up just being related to the customer's personal taste and that's fine. The chef mentions that there are people who complain about the Spotify playlist that plays in the space. "That's taste, right? So it's everyone's business. I try not to care.
Another interesting aspect of the chef's career lies in her inspirations and beliefs about cooking itself. For her dishes, she looks for references in her emotional memories, in conversations with friends and colleagues, and in the experiences that have marked her throughout her life. The chef sees gastronomy as a space for meeting and sharing.
With no closed labels for her cooking style, she tends towards Mediterranean cuisine, always focusing on the experience of the dish."I think good food has to be... It has to touch the soul. I think it can be technically perfect. But if it doesn't touch my soul, I'm not happy. So I like food that brings a feeling of warmth. Of well-being for the customer," he explains.
But anyone who thinks that Gabriela's life revolves only around gastronomy is mistaken. In fact, for a long time, she bombarded herself with information about the area, until she reached a limit.
Gradually, she realized that she needed other subjects, people and themes in her life. "I realized that in order to be a good professional, I need to be a complete person for myself too," she said, explaining that she considers it essential to have other hobbies. "I started to see that my conversations were about gastronomy, the people I related to were about gastronomy, and I said, oh, come on, right? I love it, but that's not all I love," she adds.
With Anyone Anywhere, the chef believes that there is a huge opportunity to get to know other points of view, listen to opinions and have a more human way of acquiring knowledge. "You're talking to someone else, you understand their story, where they come from, what they do, how they got there, so I think that's the greatest inspiration we can have, in any area, it's people doing different things, relating to each other, and talking about it."
Gabriela's human concern is not limited to herself. In fact, she believes she has a broader mission within her profession.
When asked about her dream career, Gabriela went a little against the grain. The obvious thing might be to want her own restaurant. However, her greatest desire is to open a school restaurant, where young talents can develop in gastronomy, regardless of their origin or social status.
Of course, she explains that she would like to have her own space, but that this is not her goal in life. "I think that in the world we live in today, with the climate crisis, other social issues, gender issues too, I think that if you have a mechanism in your hand that can really influence people, on a daily basis, I think it's high time we gave a hand to the other and could help in any way we can, I see that gastronomy is a way that I can exercise my role as a citizen," she concludes.
