#209 Juan Berbeo | Berbeo Bros

I met Juan Berbeo on Christmas Eve in the entrance to my apartment building. He was wearing an apron and I asked if he was doing some cooking. He replied, “Yes, I’m a chef.” You can imagine my excitement. We had a brief chat in the lift and to my delight, he agreed to talk to me for Conversation with a chef. Juan is Executive Chef and the guy behind the concept of Berbeo Bros. Arriving in Melbourne from Colombia 14 years ago, he worked at Pastuso, MoVida and Rockpoolbefore opening Berbeo Bros with his brother Sebastian. The brothers are the third generation of Berbeo butchers and cooks, with their family having been in hospitality for over 50 years in Colombia. Grandparents, then parents catered for 1000 covers a day in a restaurant on the road between Colombia’s capital Bogota and Fusagasugá, a central region of the Andes mountains, and Juan says he “grew up in the pots”, working with his parents from a very young age. Juan is passionate about sharing Colombian street food and he does that at his restaurant in South Melbourne, wholesaling products around Australia and at countless festivals and farmers markets. What sets Berbeo Bros apart from other barbecued meat is that they cook their marinated meat on a vertical “spinner” over red gum charcoal. Such is the following they have garnered for this style of cooking, that Juan and his team are set to start producing and selling home spinners. I’m keen to get along to the next festival and check it all out for myself. Talking to Juan made me so hungry! I’ll keep you posted and maybe see you there.