A talk with José Carlos García, Michelin-starred chef, Restaurante José Carlos García, Málaga.

1. What is this talk about?

Cooking is an act of love. That is the opening line of this episode – and it sets the tone for everything that follows. This A to Z Speaker Series interview explores what it really takes to build a career in gastronomy, through the experience of José Carlos García, Michelin-starred chef and owner of Restaurante José Carlos García in Málaga. The conversation covers the skills and personal qualities that matter most in a professional kitchen, how the gastronomic world has changed for the next generation of chefs and what it means to lead a kitchen with discipline, passion and humility. It also explores his personal story – from a country boy who barely spoke English to a chef invited to cook all over the world.

2. Who is José Carlos García?

José Carlos García is a Michelin-starred chef based in Málaga and the owner of Restaurante José Carlos García. He grew up in a family with roots in the restaurant business and trained across numerous establishments before developing his own culinary identity – combining Andalusian tradition with contemporary innovation using local and seasonal products. He has cooked across the world, trained under Martín Berasategui and Joan Roca, won the Bocuse d’Or and received a Michelin star. He is an ISP parent.

3. What is gastronomy and what does it actually involve?

José Carlos describes a restaurant as a way of life – a way of interpreting what it means to live. Gastronomy is not just cooking: it is about understanding where food comes from, its nutrition, its origins and the process behind it. Leading a professional kitchen means setting an example, rolling up your sleeves, being one of the team, exercising good judgement and always being prepared to receive information. Even interns arriving from around the world bring valuable knowledge. As José Carlos puts it: we do not know everything.

4. How did José Carlos get into gastronomy?

José Carlos grew up in a family restaurant and began by working in the dining room, where he discovered the psychological dimension of hospitality: reading how a customer arrives, whether they are happy or guarded, and responding accordingly. He describes this as knowledge acquired from the shadows. His path took him to Luxembourg to train with Léa Linster – the first female chef to win the Bocuse d’Or. He arrived without French, with limited English and completely unprepared. The lesson: you must arrive prepared, even if it is only to the house next door.

5. What skills are most important in gastronomy?

José Carlos identifies three foundations he considers non-negotiable in any professional kitchen, which he says are also common sense in any part of life:

• Discipline – showing up on time, following processes and maintaining standards even under pressure. In a kitchen, nothing works without it
• Order – every tool in its place, every process in its sequence. Order is what allows creativity to happen; without it, a kitchen becomes chaos
• Cleanliness – non-negotiable in any food environment. These are the foundations before any cooking skill can be built
• Passion – what gets you through the long hours, the pressure and the difficult moments. Without it, discipline and order alone are not enough

Beyond these foundations, he insists that today’s chefs must also understand business strategy, marketing and numbers. Passion will accompany you, he says, but without these foundations it will greatly hinder your path. The goal is not just the success of earning money – it is the success of enjoying life.

6. What is the hardest personal skill to teach in a professional kitchen?

Sensitivity. José Carlos is clear that this is what separates good kitchen professionals from great ones – and it is the hardest to teach because it is rooted in personality. His solution is practical and memorable: tweezers. By giving a rough, imprecise kitchen worker a surgeon’s tweezer and asking them to place a flower or a grain of salt, he forces them to slow down, pay attention to detail and develop a delicacy they did not know they had. The tweezer teaches the lesson that words alone cannot.

7. How have international experiences shaped his career?

International experience opened up the world for José Carlos. His path took him from Málaga to Luxembourg, Switzerland and kitchens across the globe. His defining international moment was Luxembourg: arriving to train with Léa Linster without French, with barely enough English and completely unprepared. When they told him “you’re Spanish, make a paella”, he felt lost. The lesson – that you must arrive prepared, always – has shaped how he trains others ever since. He now accepts pop-ups internationally as a way of showing what Andalusian cuisine can offer the world.

8. What paths exist in gastronomy that did not exist before?

The gastronomic world has changed dramatically. Information flows far more freely than in José Carlos’s time, making learning more accessible. But the most significant shift is that today’s chefs must be businesspeople as much as cooks. He tells young chefs: look at business strategies, marketing strategies, numbers. Romanticism is important – but it is not enough. The next generation arrives already understanding staging, strategy and how to win over a customer. In his time he had to carve out a niche. Today the path is more visible – but you still have to cook.

9. What is his advice for young people looking for their vocation?

Find the spark. José Carlos uses the image of attraction – that moment when something seduces you, even if you make a mistake. Try things without fear: carry suitcases as a hotel porter, hand out leaflets, stand at a restaurant reception desk. There is nothing scary about finding out what you like. He discovered cooking partly by accident, drawn also to motorsports as a teenager. His message is direct: it is never too late, but you have to try. Let yourself be carried by what you like – and enjoy every minute of the training, because that learning process is precious.

10. What does José Carlos think the next generation will do better?

The next generation of chefs comes in strong. José Carlos admires them genuinely – he says he wants to be their old rocker ally and will continue learning from them. What they bring is precision, marketing intelligence and a clear sense of strategy. Martín Berasategui has said that José Carlos’s generation are better cooks than his – and José Carlos says the same about the generation coming next. The presentation, the food, the precision will be more. That is the natural order – and it is beautiful.

11. What is José Carlos’s final message to young people?

Be patient and savour the journey. José Carlos says if he could speak to his 16-year-old self, he would tell him to slow down – to enjoy the training years more, because they pass faster than you think. Make the most of every minute. Keep going if you truly enjoy what you are doing. If not, find another path. But enjoy every moment.

Additional FAQs linked to the WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025

How is the food and hospitality sector changing according to the WEF?

The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 includes a specific industry profile for Accommodation, Food and Leisure. Labour-market churn in this sector is projected at 42% by 2030 – nearly double the global average of 22%. At the same time, 80% of core skills in the sector are expected to change – more than double the global average of 39%. For young people considering a career in gastronomy, this is both a challenge and an opportunity: the industry rewards those who can adapt, keep learning and combine craft with business thinking. Professionals entering this field are increasingly expected to combine culinary craft with business strategy, digital awareness and the resilience to keep learning throughout their career(WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, Industry Profile: Accommodation, Food and Leisure)

What does the WEF say about the outlook for chefs and cooks?

The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies Chefs and Cooks as a growing role globally by 2030. Hotel and Restaurant Managers also appear in the growing roles list. This reflects the enduring human demand for skilled gastronomy – the creativity, the sensitivity and the craft that no algorithm can replicate. The WEF notes that AI exposure in the Accommodation, Food and Leisure sector stands at 77%, below the global average of 88%, reflecting the irreducibly human nature of great cooking. The skills that matter most in this field are not purely technical – they are the human qualities that define great gastronomy. As José Carlos puts it, cooking is an act of love – and the WEF data confirms that this human dimension is precisely what keeps the role irreplaceable. (WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, pp. 19-21)

What does the WEF say about human skills versus technology in gastronomy?

The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 finds that AI exposure in the Accommodation, Food and Leisure sector stands at 77% – below the global average of 88%. This matters because it confirms something José Carlos says throughout this episode: great gastronomy is irreducibly human. AI can support scheduling, ordering and logistics in a professional kitchen – but it cannot teach a young chef sensitivity, it cannot make someone slow down and place a flower with a tweezer, and it cannot replicate the act of love that defines great cooking. The report also notes that by 2030, employers across all industries expect tasks to be split nearly evenly between humans alone, technology alone and a combination of both. In gastronomy, the human share is expected to remain higher than in most other sectors. The skills that will define careers in this field are the ones José Carlos identifies: discipline, sensitivity, passion and the willingness to keep learning. (WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, pp. 38-41)

What does the report say about preparing for careers in gastronomy?

The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 finds that the Accommodation, Food and Leisure sector anticipates significant training needs, with government funding playing a more prominent role here than in most industries. The sector witnessed one of the largest jumps in prioritising employee well-being between 2023 and 2025. To prepare for careers in gastronomy, the report and this episode both point to the same fundamentals:

• Develop discipline, order and precision – José Carlos identifies these as the non-negotiable foundations of any kitchen career
• Build business and strategy skills – the gastronomic world is a competitive business; passion without strategy will hinder your path
• Embrace international experience – travel, train abroad and arrive prepared; the lesson from Luxembourg is universal
• Cultivate sensitivity and attention to detail – the tweezer lesson: the hardest skill to teach is what separates good from great
• Keep learning throughout your career – with 80% of core skills in the sector expected to change by 2030, curiosity and lifelong learning are not optional

Gastronomy is a profession that rewards those who combine craft with discipline, passion with strategy and confidence with humility. Whether you cook, manage, create or communicate – there is a role for you. (WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, Industry Profile: Accommodation, Food and Leisure)

Source: World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025