Meet Allan Gonzalez Barquero | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allan Gonzalez Barquero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a mature person, I wanted to have more time to enjoy with my loved ones and to be able to develop myself as a small businessman, to depend on myself to create a better future and quality of life for myself and my family

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I come from a humble and hard-working family from Alajuela, Costa Rica. They taught me that nothing is easy in life. You have to work hard to be happy. I started as a line cook at Four Seasons. There, I had very good teachers and it was a great school. After a while, I decided to return to the capital and look for work here. I got a job in a restaurant as a Sous Chef and a few months later they gave me the position of Chef in charge. After a few years, I made the decision to work on cruise ships. So, I applied to work as a Chef in a specialty restaurant with the Holland America company. I worked with the company for 5 years. There, I got to know more than 60 countries, culture, food, and incredible people with whom we still have contact today. Then, for family reasons, I decided to return to Costa Rica. I started working with Hilton, at first as a restaurant Chef, and after a few months they gave me the opportunity to work as an Executive Chef. It was an excellent company where I had the opportunity to meet incredible people for 4 years. Then I got a little tired of corporate life and decided to quit. I went back to the cruise ship for a while and then stayed back in my country. I worked with some restaurant friends for a couple of years, we opened a couple of restaurants at that time I realized that I wanted to do things on my own to enjoy sometimes and sometimes not my decisions to create my future. The road has been hard with a lot of effort and learning, sometimes we learn through hard knocks, mistakes make us grow as people. Sometimes there are people who pay you poorly in life and make you doubt, but there are always more good people on your path.
The effort and learning of life is bearing fruit, I have never given up and I never will.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful country, Costa Rica, so it would be a very busy week. First we would go to the area of ​​La Fortuna de San Carlos, to spend the day seeing incredible landscapes and enjoying the hot springs of the Arenal volcano. After 2 days there, which is not enough, we would go to the Caribbean area of ​​Costa Rica, to the province of Limon. It is my favorite place in the world, it is green all year round, the flora and fauna of the area, the Caribbean food, the authenticity of the people of Puerto Viejo. I love their vibe, the simplicity of their life and the way they spend their time with friends and loved ones. They know how to live and they live in paradise!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In reality, there are many people involved. It is a lifetime of special moments and people who have helped me achieve my life goals, my parents, friends and family who have always been by my side. Some bosses who believed in me and helped me finish my studies and gain knowledge to be able to have an incredible quality of life at this time and be able to enjoy beautiful moments, family and places.

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