Jacqueline Fanchini (Reporter)AIMING for the very top of the culinary tree is by no means easy; in fact it comes at quite a price. David Munoz, chef behind Madrid’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant DiverXo says he is actually losing money through his flagship restaurant.
And with take home wages of just €1,300 per month, his earnings are nowhere near superstar status.
Although he is now excitedly facing new challenges, with his more profitable diffusion restaurant StreetXo, which soon opens in London, he has also been forced to see a psychiatrist.
“I went through a really tough period in terms of mental management before the third star came round,” he said.
“I started seeing a psychologist because I was stressed out; all the media coverage, all the working hours, my obsession with perfection. Then I started doing a lot of exercise and lost nearly 25 kilos to get to my natural weight, and not the fat guy you see in pictures from six months ago.”
The 34-year-old – who the Olive Press interviewed last year in Madrid on receiving his third Michelin star – added: “People would be surprised to know how many personal things have been sacrificed along the way. In the end, everything has a price. It’s always been worth it, though.”
