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THE AFFABLE RESTAURATEUR JESÚS BARRACHINA Jesus Barrachina was born literally in the centre of Valencia, in what is now the Town Hall Square (Plaza del Ayuntamiento) where his family’s grocery shop used to be. From these humble beginnings he has risen to a position of prestige as the owners of some of Valencia’s best-known restaurants (among them Les Graelles in the Alameda, and the Oceanografic’s emblematic restaurant that appears to be underwater) and as one of the longest serving (since 1969) members of the board of directors of Valencia Football Club. He is a man for whom the word “affable” might have been invented; and it is probably this affability that has maintained him on the board of Valencia Football Club for so long while other more aggressive directors have fallen by the wayside during internecine in-fighting. When he’s not personally overseeing the running of his restaurants, Jesus Barrachina is never happier than when he has the opportunity to travel down the coast to Javea, to his villa in Tossalet, and to enjoy one of his favourite experiences; to watch “the most beautiful sunset in the world” from the terrace of ‘La Esquina’ in Javea Port. As he said himself; all his worries and bank payments evaporate and he can sit there and envy all the British ex-pats who have made what is, in his opinion, the wisest of decisions, to come and live in the marvellous micro-climate which is the Costa Blanca. When he speaks about the world’s best sunset, he must know what he’s talking about, for he is a constant traveller, frequently heading the delegations of Valencia Football Club on their trips around the world to play football in some of the most famous stadiums. One summer the club toured Japan, and in his bar there is a Japanese menu, a souvenir of that visit, in which the only comprehensible word (for non-Japanese speakers of course) is “paella”, one of the dishes that has made his restaurants so well-known and so often visited by the famous (he recommends the lobster paella by the way). Apart from his restaurants, football and his family, Jesus Barrachina’s other great passion is the Fallas, and he is a prominent member of one of the most important and successful Valencian Fallas, Convento Jerusalen. He described the Fallas as “inexplicable”, but then nevertheless went on to describe their “strange, special feeling” quite well, while at the same time recognising that they are basically a Pagan festival of fire-worship, taken over later by the Christian church and refocused in honour of Saint Joseph, patron Saint of carpenters. In fact it was the Fallas that reminded him of his own British Connection; he recalled that one of the best experiences of his life was when he spent a year, 1960, in the UK, in Rugby, living with a group of Spanish engineers from Gijon, and doing most of the cooking from what I could make out. During that year, an outstanding memory was November 5th, Guy Fawkes Night, which must have brought back memories of his native Valencia. Despite his polite condemnation of English cuisine, Jesus Barrachina did surprise me by admitting to a fondness for Baked Beans and pies, although I hurry to add that neither are to be found on the menu in any of his restaurants. As a keen restaurant visitor myself, andsomeone who is frequently known to splash out up to 10 Euros on a meal (although admittedly I don’t leave a tip in those cases) I was interested to know what Valencia’s most famous restauranteur considered to be at the heart of a good restaurant. On this point he had a clear, concise answer; to enjoy the work, despite the unsociable hours; to treat people as you would wish to be treated, and to give people something that they can’t get at home. Jesus Barrachina’s passion for football goes back a long way; to his uncle who was one of the club’s first members and to the days when, as a boy, he would play in the street and the Guardia Civil would stop and whistle the penalties. Unlike many Valencia supporters, Jesus Barrachina has the greatest respect for Real Madrid (as long as they are not sharing the same pitch as Valencia) and believes that they have brought much admiration and respect to Spain and Spanish football. He says that he doesn’t share the hostility towards other regions of Spain that are prevalent these days and has no problem being a Valencian Spaniard or a Spanish Valencian, for when Europe is moving towards frontier-less collaboration it would be absurd to try to move in the opposite direction. As to his own role in the club, with typical humility he claims that the best thing the board ever did was not to panic when things were going badly, but to hang on until the good times arrived, as they have done in recent years with two leagues, one cup, one UEFA Cup, two Champions League finals and a European Super cup; “glorious years” in which, as he puts it, they have: “stolen the wallets” of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Despite the animosity felt by some at the resignation of their most successful trainer, Rafa Benitez, who went to Liverpool, Jesus Barrachina states quite candidly that he would have “killed him” if Benitez hadn’t accepted Liverpool’s once in a lifetime offer. Jesus Barrachina’s two sons and daughter all work in the family business; in fact Jesus attributes a lot of his success to his own father, a man he describes as a genius, and who despite his age is as lucid, fit and hard working as ever. We later withdrew to a small bar where I was successfully bribed with beer, ham and cheese (an infallible combination as far as my journalistic principles go….or went!) The bar itself is a mini-museum full of photos of the rich and famous who have eaten in Les Graelles (in case you’re wondering I did offer but was tactfully laughed off with a wave of the hand). Among the photos was a much younger Jesus Barrachina in his early days as a waiter serving none other than Spain’s ex-dictator Francisco Franco. When I enquired as to the size of the tip, Jesus merely laughed and pointed to some far more interesting pictures of professional footballers, none of whom executed their prisoners or censored the newspapers (more’s the pity if you ask me!) ©2007/2008 Bob Yareham. |
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OUR OTHER VIPS ARTURO VIROSQUE EDUARDO BEUT CARLOS BERTOMEU RAFAEL DE LA CUADRA JAIME ALMENAR AND A HISTORICAL VIP |
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