The Arguignano family chooses Leon to take a break from the stove and TV during the summer.

Joseba Arguñano (Zarautz, Gipuzkoa, 1985) is a chef and works in television. That is, like his father. There are those who have already assigned him the role of “successor” to the great Carlos Arguñano, but he prefers to “go slowly and enjoy”. In the culinary world, he has more preference for pastries and bakeries, having his own business; In television, he appears weekly on his father’s program on Antena 3 and has his own space on Euskal Telebista (ETB). He publishes his recipe books on “Planeta” and looks at life “with curiosity, but as calmly as possible”. Like a good native of Zarautz, he loves surfing; Like a good Arguñano, he answers questions with a touch of humor and a good dose of common sense. And in the summer, he chooses Leon for his family vacations.

– Was there an interview in which you were not asked about your father?

– Maybe some… but the truth is that I always get asked about it, and for me it’s a source of pride: I come from there, people love it, and I like to receive a piece of that affection too.

-How is your summer going?

-My wife and I always go to Leon because my father-in-law was from there. And one day I run off to catch some waves with a board…

– Taking the name Arguignano and dedicating yourself to cooking and television… were you destined for this or were you thinking about doing something else?

– I was a bad student, so it was clear at home: if you don’t study, go work. And work doesn’t scare me. I did mechanics, experimented with making surfboards in a different way, and even started a company for this with a friend, but cooking was what I had at hand and what I was always good at. I was born among ovens.

-Although later, in the kitchen, he specialized more in baking.

– When I was working in the kitchen of the family restaurant for a while, there was a year when I went to Australia to study English, and when I came back I was in Barcelona studying candy and chocolate making. At 19 I returned home and since Aunt Eva, who ran the pastry shop in the family home, was going to work as a teacher at the Alaia school, I kept it. Then I opened my own workshop and shop in the old town of Zarautz.

-How was the transition from the kitchen to the set?

-When I was little, I was already appearing on one of my father’s programs, cooking eggs stuffed with tuna… Everyone told me: “You’re a chatterbox, you’ll end up like your father.” I always had people skills, but I didn’t see myself on TV. Until one day, ETB offered me “History in Pieces,” a program where we travel from city to city in search of different people, recipes, crafts, landscapes… I liked this format, more about walking around places than being in nature. a lot. It made me more comfortable and I lost my fear of the cameras. Now I make a daily recipe program in Basque and collaborate with my father. And I like it.

– Does the label of “heir” to such a legend as Carlos Arguignano weigh on you?

– Of course it does. I’ve only been in this club for five years, and my father has been there for 36 seasons. I go from day to day.

-Have you also inherited the ability to joke?

– Not so much… This “arguignano gene” was inherited more by my son Manex, who loves to make people laugh. He will be ten years old in October.

-What is your favorite dish?

– Scrambled eggs with sausage and potatoes are amazing: you won’t find a better dinner. I also really like spoon dishes, soups… When the product is seasonal and carefully prepared, the dish turns out perfect.

– Let’s do a public service: recommend a healthy dish for the summer to our readers.

– For example, a few good gazpachos during the season of delicious tomatoes. In the village, my father makes gazpachos many days a week. Salmorejo – to a lesser extent, because my mother does not like cucumbers. But it is best to have a snack with colleagues, to share: it is healthy. Seafood is not necessary: ​​it is good if they are added informally. Expensive is not always better.

-How is your summer going?

-My wife and I always go to Leon because my father-in-law was from there. And one day I run off to catch some waves with a board…

-The recipe to become happier?

– Enjoy the little things in life, those who are close to you… The menu for a good life is theoretically simple: forgive, be more empathetic, live together in peace… and eat healthy food.