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Eight months ago, Camilo Brugal achieved a dream he had been planning for years: opening his first restaurant—and doing so in his homeland, the Dominican Republic. After completing two years of training at the CIB with the Gran Chef Diploma program, and navigating the challenges of a global pandemic, last March Chen Chén opened its doors. We spoke with Camilo during the first weekend in eight months that he was absent from the service at his restaurant—a significant milestone that underscores a key realization: the project is solid; Chen Chén is now thriving on its own.
'The CIB taught me to be curious. It changed my philosophy of thinking'
The journey has been long for Camilo Brugal, but his story is one of perseverance and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Although Camilo arrived at the CIB international cooking school with no prior experience, he came to Barcelona with a clear goal: to launch a restaurant business in his home country. He customized his professional training by pursuing the Grand Diploma Chef career in culinary arts and management. Each component of his training equipped Camilo with valuable insights for the future: the PCAC · Haute Cuisine Chef Diploma opened his eyes to the vast diversity of culinary styles, the PEC D1 · Professional Pastry and Baking program filled a key gap in his culinary expertise, and the ECD · Executive Chef program gave him the tools to effectively manage a restaurant business.
The CIB opened my mind and taught me to be curious, to explore what I’m passionate about. When the CIB reveals the endless possibilities within the world of cooking, that’s when I began developing my philosophy of thinking as a chef.
Just as the entire world came to a standstill in 2020, so did Camilo's training. After only three months at the CIB, the Coronavirus pandemic abruptly interrupted his time here. In March, he boarded the last flight home, and it wasn't until a year later that Brugal could resume his training. Despite the uncertainty of a post-pandemic world, Camilo ultimately achieved his academic goals. Following a six-month internship at two restaurants that had piqued his curiosity, he returned to the Dominican Republic in 2022 'with all the knowledge, the experience from the internship, and the determination to apply what I had learned'.
Chen Chén: a dream come true
In the Dominican coastal city of Puerto Plata, a town still in development, a unique restaurant has emerged in the region: Chen Chén, a creative cuisine establishment that highlights local Dominican products. To truly appreciate how innovative (and daring) Camilo Brugal's proposal is, one must understand the gastronomic context of the Dominican Republic: in a country where the public typically values either premium imported products or large portions, Brugal challenges this traditional perspective on gastronomy. There is no other place, not even in the capital, Santo Domingo, that offers a similar culinary style.
There is much to explain to the customer, but when they experience Chen Chén, they leave transformed. The reception has been outstanding. Introducing new flavors using local products has encouraged the public to appreciate ingredients they once believed had little or no value.
The journey has been neither easy nor quick, but the results have been overwhelmingly positive. It took months of preparation. “Learning and teaching at the same time”, explained Camilo, who, while navigating the birth of his first project, dedicated himself to training his kitchen and dining room team. Over the course of five months, Camilo focused on decision-making and team training within the restaurant. This effort culminated last March with a soft opening, where the team tested everything they had designed and evaluated the logistics of the operation. For instance, one key decision made later was to limit the number of guests per table to prioritize both service and food quality.
The first service was a moment filled with excitement and hard work. Camilo recalls a conversation with Francesc Balagué, the academic director of the CIB, who visited Chen Chén during its first weeks: “As I told Francesc, you always think that on the first day everything has to be perfect, but that’s impossible. The goal is to make it a little better every day.” Now, eight months after opening, Camilo reflects on how initial expectations are often unrealistic, emphasizing that maintaining a positive mindset is the key to achieving all objectives. With a smile, he shared how they experienced their very first service:
Opening Chen Chén was a dream come true. However, the first two days of service—Friday and Saturday—left little time to celebrate. After the first service, we had to return the very next day to do it all over again. It’s a dream, but it’s also a daily challenge.
And this is what Francesc wrote to all the staff, last May, from the Dominican Republic:
Yesterday, I visited Camilo Brugal before the service. It has been three weeks since he opened Chen Chén, his restaurant, in the historic center of Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), where there are no other 'gastronomic' restaurants. The area lacks skilled labor and reliable suppliers offering a variety of quality products. Camilo is responsible for cooking, managing, buying supplies, and training the staff—he’s overwhelmed, but happy! He took a risk, and now it’s up and running. The restaurant boasts a beautiful terrace, and I was pleasantly surprised by how he has applied the knowledge and experience he gained at the CIB in such a wide range of ways!
Cooking is transmitting energy
With this first step already taken, and after a few months of stabilizing everything, new professional challenges are opening up for Chen Chén and for Camilo Brugal. Soon, Chen Chén will not only offer dinner service but also lunch, attracting a different audience. Furthermore, in the next 5-10 years, Camilo envisions expanding his horizons, aiming to create 'something with a reputation in a slightly more globalized environment.' Santo Domingo, the capital, could be a promising option.
But what lies behind the figure of the executive chef and entrepreneurchef that Camilo has become? What drives him? Why is he doing this? The risk, the broad vision, the careful deliberation in his decisions, and the bold commitment to his beliefs and culinary proposal can be understood by getting to know Camilo a bit better.
With Chen Chén, I’ve realized that what drives me is showing the public that there are different ways to experience gastronomy and food. It brings me great satisfaction when I manage to help people understand that cooking is more than just preparing food—it’s a philosophy, a story, something much deeper behind it.
During the interview, Camilo recalled that he was once advised to watch the movie 'Like Water for Chocolate', where the main character, a chef, conveyed her emotions through her food. If she was angry while cooking, she was able to transmit those emotions to her customers when they tasted her dishes. This idea has now become a key element of Camilo's culinary philosophy:
In the Chen Chén kitchen, I strive to ensure that the food reaches the plate in its purest form, with minimal manipulation, so that the energy we transmit is the first energy our guests experience. I want to ensure that no one else has transferred any negative energy into those ingredients. Without a doubt, I believe that when you're cooking, you're transmitting energy to the food. For the food to come out in a way that the customer can truly appreciate, there also has to be a positive work environment.
Being an executive chef and leading a team of 14 people
Opening a restaurant has been a daily learning experience for Camilo—a process of trial and error, as this was his first project. After months of managing various roles and acquiring knowledge across all phases of the opening, Chen Chén is now a thriving reality that we celebrate.
Currently, the team consists of 14 members, and Camilo has fully embraced the role of Executive Chef. Although he is always present during service due to his passion, his primary responsibility is supervision. However, this doesn’t mean he has distanced himself from the kitchen:
As Executive Chef, I handle the shopping, the recipes, the product costing. I am involved in every step. But whenever possible, I'm always in the restaurant cooking. I no longer work in mise en place, but in production, in the butcher’s shop, preparing the product.
Camilo greatly values the leadership skills he gained at the CIB. 'That was one of the most valuable things.' Understanding that a single person cannot handle all the tasks, no matter how much knowledge they may have, was a turning point for Camilo. At the CIB, he learned what it means to be a good leader, as well as how to delegate and teach. Now, leading a team of 14 people is part of his daily routine. As a reference Executive Chef, we asked him to share his three tips for starting a restaurant business. This is what he told us:
I would tell them to thoroughly study the public and the market, and to remember that it’s a business that needs to survive through customers. I would also advise them to prepare both physically and mentally by attending a culinary school like the Culinary Institute of Barcelona. And lastly, they should thoroughly study the executive chef role. This is a fast-paced business that changes daily, and you need a solid balance sheet to ensure you don’t lose more than you earn.
Mental health in restaurants
All CIBers are individuals committed to their profession and the restaurant industry. Camilo’s time at the CIB coincided with the beginning of the #NoChef initiative, which he recalls as a movement aimed at 'winning the rights that we, in the restaurant sector, still don’t have, which other industries, on the other hand, do.' Camilo has also had professional experiences that were sometimes overly demanding, with long working hours.
I had to sacrifice a lot of time. I was exhausted, yet I still had to go to work. I did it because I wanted to learn more and believed I could stand out, but eventually, I understood the importance of maintaining a balance and prioritizing mental health. It’s not only about work, but also about having time to enjoy life. Otherwise, we won’t have employees who want to work with us.
Now, as Executive Chef of Chen Chén, Camilo understands the importance of taking care of his workers. He knows that the high demands of a profession like that of a chef do not exempt him from creating a positive work environment, and that a healthy chef is a happy chef.
At the CIB, we are very proud that more and more restaurants are embracing mental health as a priority, and where the rights of workers are no longer overlooked. We are also proud of chefs like Camilo Brugal, the creator of a restaurant where not only the customer, the product, and the technique are carefully considered, but also every member of the team. It’s a pleasure to see how the network of restaurants owned by our CIBers continues to grow!
