Marvin Gauci: Chef on a mission

Marvin Gauci knows his way around a kitchen. Chef turned restaurateur, he made a name for himself with the opening of his restaurant Tarragon in 2007. He went on to open further restaurants: Caviar and Bull in 2014, Buddhamann in 2015, Dinner in the Sky in 2016, and even exported Caviar and Bull to Budapest. In 2018, he was awarded the Chef of the Year title at The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants Awards Ceremony.

Marvin Gauci – the chef and the business man.  How do the two work together?        
I would say they go hand in hand. Every culinary concept I would think of during my food journey always developed in the context of something with a long-term vision. Wild Thyme, Tarragon, Buddhamann, Caviar & Bull and Dinner in the Sky were all culinary ideas in my mind that gradually evolved into tangible commercial projects. The successful growth of the Caviar & Bull brand stretching as far as Budapest is clear proof of how the chef and businessman are tightly knit together in my food journey.

Few people in Malta do not know the name of Marvin Gauci. Most of the attention would be admiration, however, there’s bound to be some negative impact.  How would this affect you and your family?     
I always made sure to keep my family away from the limelight. They have a right to a private life and should not be affected by the media or any other form of external pressure. From my end, I strongly believe in Friedrich Nietzsche’s words “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

Why do you think that you won the Chef of the Year Award last year? Being Chef Patron of four restaurants in Malta and one in Budapest has something to do with it but there’s more to it…
This is a question which would be answered better by those who’ve voted for me.   Nevertheless, I feel that it has to do with the level of food and service my team and I offer to every client who visits any of our outlets. It has to do with our efforts to promote Malta as a food destination. Moreover, it has to do with the different concepts, which my team and I are continously introducing. This keeps us on our toes, helping the brand stand out from the crowd.

Do you have an all- time favourite recipe that you created?              
There are quite a few to be honest. I am quite proud of my lobster popcorn, though.

How does getting so many awards affect your restaurants?  
We are grateful to all those who’ve voted for us. All the awards, including our achievements with The Definitive(ly) Good Guide encourage us to work harder to reach new heights. They also increase our responsibilities to offer our clients a product which satisfies their expectations.

We know that you never stay still for long, so what projects are you focusing on at the moment?                                                                                                  
There are quite a few projects on our to-do list. At the moment, we are focusing on the international market since we plan on expanding our brand and market reach.

The Defininitive(ly) Good Guide to Resturants Chef of the Month Competition supported by The Cathering Centre and Gourmet Today aims to recognise the chefs who make the restaurant the success that it is. Every month, two chefs are featured on www.restaurantsmalta.com and diners are asked to vote for who they think is the best, based on presentation of the food, variety of ingrediets used and creativity in their use. To find out the best survey rated restaurants for 2019 and how they ranked, get your copy of The Definite(ly) Good Guide 2019  from www.restaurantsmalta.com