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[title]He began studying cooking with a clear goal in mind: he wanted to have a restaurant by the beach. He wrote it down on paper, and today, 30 years later, that dream is a daily reality. “It was always my goal, and one day I realized I also wanted to live by the beach. Today, I live closer to the sea than the city,” explains Pedro Demuru, the soul behind Kota Club de Mar (Pinamar), Café de Fábula (Pinamar), Carpe Diem (Cariló Golf), Demuru Restaurant (Pinamar), and Imperial Beerhouse, the only hub he has in Buenos Aires.
“Today, I live closer to the sea than the city”
“My job is more seasonal, and that’s very different from the year-round work of a restaurant in a city. It has an adrenaline rush for about 55 days, and then it’s over. There are four months of intense work and then eight months of maintaining the teams, figuring out how to keep it going. It has its advantages and disadvantages,” Demuru explains.
Every day, he visits one of his restaurants, walks through them, thinks of ideas, and returns home. In his own words, Pedro has “the best job in the world.” “I have the chance to work and not only that: I have the chance to enjoy it. For me, work isn’t something that’s hard. I go to work every day, and I do it happily,” he says.
“I have the chance to work and enjoy my job”
Since he was a child, he grew up in a house where cooking was a part of life, and this always kept him connected to gastronomy. With Italian grandparents on one side and German grandparents on the other, Pedro enjoyed homemade recipes and the rituals around the table. “When it was time to choose what to study at those difficult 18 years, I decided to go for cooking because I was a bit lazy and didn’t like studying. Since that day until now, I’ve never left a restaurant,” he says, adding that it was a time when cooking was just starting to gain momentum in Argentina.
Imperial Beerhouse, the Unique Project
Of all Demuru's ventures, Imperial Beerhouse is the only one located in Buenos Aires, where Pedro serves as the resident chef. Located at the Campo Argentino de Polo, Imperial’s home is a popular spot for groups of friends to enjoy a beer outdoors, an after-office drink, and a menu designed by Pedro to pair with the brand’s flavors.
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“It's where we can have fun, where we can do some things related to the Imperial brand. It’s a nice project, very neat. It stands out from a typical brewery because of the mix of things that happen there: the place, the social aspect, the food,” he affirms.
The Beerhouse menu is varied and complete: it offers everything from snacks like platters and fries to main dishes like breaded sirloin and cuts of meat like marinated flank steak with chimichurri, lemon, and rosemary. Additionally, guests can try different Imperial flavors and enjoy pairing suggestions listed on the same menu. Soon, they’ll also introduce a permanent fire cooking station in the venue's patio. “The idea is to keep finding things to add and keep the place in constant motion,” Demuru details.
The First Step and What’s Next
Before the Coast and the sea, Pedro Demuru made a strong impression in Buenos Aires with his restaurant Nectarine, where he offered an 11-course menu, a novelty at the time. It was a small place that competed with the best restaurants in the country. “I tell my former partner when I run into him: ‘If we had continued with Nectarine, we would have been Argentina's first Michelin star.’ But well, it didn’t happen, and we went in other directions. Still, I feel satisfied with what I’ve achieved and comfortable where I am,” he details.
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A new project, which revisits and reinterprets some ideas from that original concept, will soon come to light. “We’re going to go back to the roots of the tasting menu, but updated for the new era. I got a bit bored of the tasting experience, so I want to give it a new twist,” he explains.
The project will take place in Pinamar and will have a different concept. “We’re thinking about how to position it because we believe that’s what can make it different. Today, having different types of places allows me to play with these more elegant concepts again,” he adds.
Pedro Demuru is multifaceted and dedicates the necessary time to each of his projects: “The truth is that I enjoy all of them, I like them, and each one has its charm. I have seven children, and I love them all,” he details, also considering his catering business and his deli.
Exploring possibilities, testing recipes, and finding the charm in a variety of options is something Pedro Demuru has made part of his life. From fine dining to daily menus, from Buenos Aires to the Coast, curiosity is his best ally.