Our Identity
By Agustin Balbi
As the first entry of our Blog, I think it is natural that we begin with what our name means and where the idea came from, as it is one of the most frequent questions we get from our guests.
A simple explanation is, Andō is the equivalent of ING in Spanish, for example: now you are looking at this blog, in Spanish you are mirANDO this blog. As a continuous form of doing, it accurately mirrors our never-ending pursuit of continuous evolution.
Meanwhile, Andō is a very well-known family name meaning 'peaceful east' in Japan, which is the first association for most people in Asia or those with a general knowledge of Japan. The idea is to find a word that represents both cultures in its own way, which helps our guests visualize the kind of food we develop at our restaurant.
And if you wish to explore further, my full name is Agustin FerrANDO Balbi. Therefore, the word Andō also has a personal link to me as this is my restaurant, or as I like to call it, my home.
I come from Argentina, a Spanish-speaking country in South America. Like 80% of the Argentinian population, I grew up in a family of Spanish and Italian descendants. My grandmother Lola is the one who inspired me to become a chef and had a profound influence on my career. As both of my parents had full-time jobs during the day, I used to go to my grandma’s house for lunch every day after school. She was from Mallorca, Spain and always cooked amazing Spanish food that filled my childhood memories. It is also how I developed my gallery of flavors growing up.
Fast forward a few years later, when I was a chef in training with great curiosity, I found myself in Japan eager to learn from the masters to refine my craft. As I mentioned a few lines above, most Argentinians have Spanish or Italian roots which makes it easier for those who want to become a chef to return to Europe and perfect their skills. However, that is the precise reason why I didn't follow suit - I wanted something a bit more challenging, a destination that satisfies my curiosity while allowing me to learn about seafood (Argentina wasn’t my first choice). Naturally, Japan was the place to be. As a determined and fearless young chef, I left home at 24, spending the next ten years in this foreign land that is now my second home.
What comes of this unconventional journey is what Andō is today. We tend to avoid tying our cooking down to one geographic location. Internally, I tell my team that here we don't make Japanese food or Spanish food, we make Andō food. every dish is grounded in fond memories of my grandmother’s Spanish cooking and my professional training in Japan, which is both unique and personal to me. Combining these two cuisines, I invented my own vocabulary to tell the story of my journey that honors the past, and extends all the way to the future.
