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‘Piripi’ is Spanish slang for happy or tipsy, and it’s also the name of Najat Kaanache’s (Orio, Gipuzkoa, 1987) new endeavor. The restaurant is scheduled to open this month and has already attracted the interest of the Basque media. She clearly stated, in previous interviews, that Piripi is “Basque cuisine.” However, in a conversation with EuskalKultura.com, she presented herself as a chef of the world.

Miami, FL. The exact date for the official opening of Piripi; is yet to be determined, so, saying that it will open this month is “perfect,” in the words of Kaanache. “The philosophy behind all I do is to have the freedom to be able to make humans happy and that with love and care, we can deliver a magical moment,” she explained. When speaking about her restaurant, she added: “I would like them (the diners) to feel happy, embraced, and well taken care of. (I would like them to feel) that it was a magical experience, and their stomachs and souls to be happy.”

To achieve that, she will do “a few magic tricks” while also serving Basque food: “I will also serve Bacalao al pil-pil and Tortilla de Patata made to order,” she pointed out. To any lover of good food that will probably sound very appealing but, most of these kinds of restaurants are usually very expensive. “(Piripi) is a humble concept where I’d like everyone to come and eat and decide how much they would like to spend,” she added: “But the respect of the kitchen and love for the product is there for everyone to enjoy.”

Even though her professional advancement has been spectacular −she has worked and studied with big names such as Grant Achatz (Alinea), Ferran Adrià (El Bulli), Rene Redzepir (Noma), Thomas Keller (The French Laundry), and Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck), to name a few−, Kaanache’s origins are very humble, her relatives were peasants in Morocco, collecting wheat, for hours on their knees. “I have to remember who I am and where I am come from, I need to have that present always that is the reason I push myself to share my life, to share my culture, and to become part of a Magical Movement of Food for the Soul.”

That humanistic touch also shows when asked if she will stop travelling as she has been doing for years, after the opening of her restaurant: “I will not stop traveling, (because) the more we travel the better humans we become.”

With Miami, Florida being the home of many Basques and a Euskal Etxea, we asked Kaanache whether she is in touch with them and she said that “she gets along well with any human who says hello and appreciates me for just being a human, who offers to feed their wishes. I teach my team that it is more important to be colleagues than to win a competition and stand on a podium.” “Yes, I know some great humans in the city of Miami who are great professionals,” she concluded.