Sucre is the latest hotspot to arrive in DIFC.
Founded by restauranteur Fernando Trocca, Sucre has been leading the restaurant scene in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, for over two decades.
Having landed on Latin America’s World’s 50 Best list twice, it’s safe to say the iconic restaurant delivers in both food, service and ambience.
Twenty years after officially launching, the restauranteur decided to go global with the brand, opening its second-ever venue in London’s Soho region last year.
Then, starting 2022 with a bang, Sucre opened yet another branch, this time in Dubai and it’s safe to say it’s been a major hit amongst the fine-dining crowd in the emirate.
To delve deeper into the story of this iconic restaurant, Emirates Woman sat down with Fernando to discuss the origins of Sucre, the restaurant’s hero dishes and exactly why he saw Dubai as a clear contender to open Sucre’s third-ever venue.
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Talk us through your career?
My career began In 1986 in Argentina, where I learnt from two great teachers, possibly the greatest of their generation, Francis Mallmann and the late Gato Dumas. On my first trip to Europe in the early nineties, I worked with Massimo Bottura. Work also took me to Florence, San Sebastián, Madrid and New York, before returning to Buenos Aires in 1992 to open my first restaurant, Llers, named after a Catalan village, where we served Mediterranean food.
Five years later I moved to New York to be chef of Vandam, the PanLatin restaurant. In 2001 I returned to Buenos Aires to open Sucre, six years later relocated to Mexico to open La Porteña in Guadalajara and in 2008 began an advisory role with Gaucho in London that would run for eight years. I worked in television for 17 years, mostly on the Gourmet channel and have published three books: Trocca Cocinero, Santa Teresita and Trocca en Casa, out just weeks ago.
Where does your love for food come from?
My love of food and the kitchen comes from my maternal grandmother Serafina: she ran a B&B in the porteño neighbourhood of San Telmo, where I went for lunch every day for eight years. Besides being an excellent grandmother, Serafina was a great cook; she would show me how she made dishes and sauces and I’d make suggestions for the menu from starter to dessert. My grandmother was the one who made fall in love with cooking because she fed my belly as much as she fed my soul.
You opened Sucre over two decades ago in Buenos Aires. What is the story behind the origins of the restaurant?
The original idea of Sucre was born in 2000. I was living in New York when two friends proposed I go back to Buenos Aires to open a restaurant together. One of them found the location, which would become so iconic, and that convinced us to open on the most difficult year in recent economic history. We managed to thrive because we found Sucre on three pillars: one, the open kitchen with a wood grill; two, the wine cellar in the middle, where more than eight thousand bottles were visible to everyone; and three, the bar, the very big bar, so key to the mood and interior. And just like that, Sucre sparked a new wave of restaurants in Buenos Aires.
Last year you brought the brand to London and now here. What’s the appeal of Dubai to you?
Our partners have a very strong presence in Dubai. They’re key players in the region and know the market inside out. So when they said Dubai would be an excellent location for Sucre, I just followed their lead.
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Talk us through the concept of Sucre.
The concept of Sucre has always been to reflect what I had been doing for years on so many different kitchens: Mediterranean and European cuisine, Italian, Spanish and a degree of French mixed with Latin American – ultimately channelling the ethos of Argentinean food, which is a mélange of Europe and South America.
What are the hero dishes at Sucre?
The veal ossobuco risotto and the dulce de leche fondant.
What sets the F&B industry in Dubai apart from the rest of the world?
Dubai is a very cosmopolitan city with a restaurant offer to go with it: international, with the world´s greatest chefs and of the highest standards. In that sense, I find it quite similar to every leading city in the planet.
Describe the process that goes into curating new menus and new dish ideas.
The process of developing new menus and dishes comes from different avenues. I don’t have a definite method but reading cookbooks, travelling, eating out and visiting markets are a constant source of inspiration.
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What are the hurdles you’ve experienced throughout your career?
There have been so many obstacles throughout my career… It’s not obstacles that matter to me; it’s finding ways to face and solve these obstacles that matters to me.
What have been the milestones?
My career has given so many satisfactions, so much happiness. It has allowed me to discover the world and to meet incredible people everywhere – from fellow cooks to journalists to enthusiasts –. It has allowed me to live so many wonderful experiences that I doubt I would’ve had if it weren’t for my career. Fortunately, all of this continues to happen so I suppose the milestones are still going…!
What are your hopes for Sucre Dubai in 2022?
We would like for Sucre Dubai to be a restaurant where people come to enjoy themselves, eat good food, listen to good music, drink good wine and cocktails. And for them to want to keep coming back!
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