Jubany and Jiménez
Nandu Jubany, visionary Catalan chef and businessman, continues to expand his legacy in Formentera by opening Pecador, his fourth restaurant on the island. After the success of Can Carlitos, Es Codol Foradat, and Aigua Aire, Jubany has partnered with Fran Jiménez ‒ with whom he has worked for the past twenty years ‒ to bring his most innovative and daring concept to the island. Pecador restaurant is more than just a new chapter in Formentera’s vibrant food and leisure scene, it also embodies the seal of quality and passion for excellence that characterises all of Jubany’s projects. In this interview, Jubany and Jiménez tell us all about their wildest restaurant.
A new stage, a new project... What is Pecador like and how have you felt about this new beginning?
Nandu: Pecador is thrilling. It’s another project in Formentera and with Fran Jiménez. I think this one will be the last. I’m really excited about this place. It’s got a really magical feel... Fran and I have worked together for a long time. He’s given me so much. We’ve forged a great path together over the years and it was time that he had a project he could truly feel was his own.
How about you, Fran? How do you feel about this new stage as Nandu’s partner?
Fran: It’s a new, really exciting project and being partners means I have much greater responsibility. But Nandu’s projects have always felt as though they were mine and I’ve worked on them as if they were. But in this new stage, the time has come to show off everything we’ve done together. With a huge amount of enthusiasm and excitement...
Fran, what’s it like working with Nandu?
Fran: I’ve worked with him for 16 or 17 years. Since I was about 20. Everything I’ve learned has been thanks to him, both in cooking and business. Spending so much time together means we share the same outlook. There’s one thing you never need to feel when you work with Nandu, and that’s afraid. He gives you masses of confidence. He’s a flawless leader.
What is Pecador Formentera like?
Nandu: Pecador is going to be our most gourmet restaurant in Formentera. You could say it’s a kind of mixture between Can Jubany and Es Codol Foradat, on an island that’s really special to me. We’re going to create an experience that goes far beyond just eating. We want people to come and have a great time.
Fran: I think Pecador is something that was needed. A different concept on the island, a departure from the conventional... You really won’t find the Pecador style anywhere else. I think people here were crying out for something like this.
What type of food is served at Pecador?
Nandu: We have three different menus. It’s very bold in that sense because there aren’t many restaurants in Formentera that are adventurous with their menus. The El Pecador menu consists of six aperitifs, and you start with a cocktail that forgives all the sins you’re going to commit during dinner and the evening. It’s a gin-based cocktail made with herbs from Formentera and beetroot juice. Drink it and you won’t go to hell.
We’ve got a short menu (that isn’t actually that short), a longer one, and a final lobster-based menu called “Sin in Formentera”. This menu will have octopus, figs, lobster, goat milk butter made by a goat herder on the island... It’s going to capture the true essence of Formentera.
And you’ve also planted your own vegetables?
Nandu: Yes. We’ve planted almost 800 tomato plants in a house we’ve rented. We’ve planted piparra and padrón peppers too. We also have our own cows, and next year would like to make our own cured meats.
How is Pecador Formentera different from its predecessor in Ibiza?
This Pecador is more audacious. It’s a worse sinner in every way. The menu, the way the waiting staff dress... We’re going to tattoo our staff and people who come; we’ve booked artists, singers, dancers... We’re going to get people dancing and enjoying the experience. When you come to Pecador, you’ll be able to have dinner and then stretch the night out with drinks, but you can also just come for a drink and enjoy the music by our DJs with your friends. The idea is that the party never stops...
What has been the biggest challenge to this project?
Nandu: We’ve been really brave in buying the property. We’ve spent a lot of money on the facilities to create a place where people will be comfortable, and to make it really different from other places on the islands...
Fran: For me, the main challenge is to make people leave happy and, after they walk out of the door, have them still talking about it the next day. I want them to be amazed.
