This Sunday, January 5, chef Samantha Vallejo-Nájera has a plan that is a dream. Together with the Pequeno Deseo Foundation, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, it will participate in the Three Kings Parade in Madrid, the most magical night for children. Next to the actress María Castro, Samantha will wave the magic wand of the ‘Dreams’ float of the aforementioned foundation, which aims to turn the wishes of children with serious and chronic illnesses into reality in order to make their illness more bearable.
In these years they have managed to fulfill 7,000 wishes. We talked about this and her dreams with Samantha, who spends the holidays at her house in Pedraza where she balances her family life with work at her restaurant Casa Taberna.
It must be quite a dream to participate as an ambassador in the Three Kings Parade float in what is undoubtedly the most magical night for children. How far does your commitment go?
I am godmother of many charitable causes where they ask me, such as initiatives related to Down syndrome, cancer, Aladina, Pequeno Deseo… I collaborate happily and delightedly with everyone when they ask me. There are many children from the Little Wish Foundation who have come to the set of MasterChef with his wand and his illusion and you don’t see how exciting that process is. It shows that it gives them a boost of energy and life and it is proven that this helps them.
What wish do you have left to fulfill?
Selfishly and thinking of myself, I would tell you that I would love to be able to speak English perfectly. It’s always something I keep in mind because I’m very envious of people who master languages. I speak French and English halfway. When I was little, my brothers learned better and I have that in mind.
It is not out of the ordinary because learning English, quitting smoking and starting the gym are the top ten of the good wishes that are made when a new year begins.
I no longer smoke, I go to the gym non-stop, I have a list of things that feel good to enhance this year and I assure you that I am one hundred percent.
What is the most difficult thing for you to stop doing that makes you feel bad?
Nothing because I assure you that I have a lot of willpower and the maturity that life gives you teaches you to know how to do what benefits you. I love taking care of myself, being with my family, working, traveling, going to the countryside, playing sports that make me feel like I’m dying, eating well, taking care of myself…
And where do you find time for everything?
It gives you plenty of time if you spend less time on technology. It is one of the purposes for 2025 for me and mine. That of avoiding wasting time because I consider that current cancer is due to technology. We have to talk and see friends, travel, help those who need us… I have always helped, even when no one knew me, and being able to be on a float in the parade seems like a dream to me. Furthermore, it coincides with the issuance of MasterChef Junior and you don’t know how excited they are to see us. The children are happy and it is a great plan. Many come to the Casa Taberna de Pedraza to see us because they are hooked on the program.
This Christmas he spends in Pedraza where he also runs his restaurant while the programs are broadcast.
On January 13 we record a new adult edition again, we call it ‘the 12 plus 1’, from anonymous people and then in May the Masterchef Celebrity.
Don’t you get tired?
It’s work and I like it. I think it’s wonderful to be able to be a judge on the most important cooking show on television. Competing with Jordi, with whom I get along fantastically, seeing that people love us, that they like us, that they learn with us, that there is a before and after in gastronomy in Spain with this program, that people understand and know more of products… I am privileged to be part of that team.
Is there anyone who has left a special mark on you after all these years of the program?
There are many people I admire. Of the almost 500 contestants who have gone through the program today, I have many friends. It is difficult and it will be unfair to say a name but lately the ones I talk to the most are Toñi Moreno, who I loved the role she played, or Blanca Romero who I also liked a lot. There is a girl named María Morales who is from Tomelloso, another María who is today a home chef or Carlos Maldonado who is a genius. There are many who are anonymous but today they make a living from gastronomy and have built very good businesses. I assure you that it is a wonderful springboard and if you want to dedicate yourself to this world it is the best place to go.
These festive days when so much is eaten, what is not missing are the roscones.
At this moment I’m having one because I do a roscone tasting all over Spain and they send them to me from all over. Since December 22 I have been trying them.
It’s obvious that he likes them a lot because his little son’s name is Roscón.
It’s because he was born on January 7th and on top of that he came with a prize because we didn’t know he had Down syndrome. Plus it was a bun. I was in the middle of a tasting in Pedraza trying the roscones when I went into labor and it was clear that it couldn’t be called anything else.
Now he will have his birthday party.
He is going to turn 17 and he is doing very well. He is a man.
She is a very family-oriented woman and I suppose it will have been a very special time with her mother.
All of us brothers are in Pedraza with my mother. My brother Colate is also here and we spend a lot of time together like now that we just went out on the bike.
They will have missed their nephew Nicolás who is in Miami with his mother Paulina Rubio.
It made us sad but Nico is 14 years old and his wish is to live in Spain.
Do you trust that you will be able to reside in Spain?
Of course he’s going to come because that’s what he wants. The day will come when I achieve it. I am a very positive person and I believe so.
He tried to intercede the day his nephew had to return to his mother due to a court order. He witnessed the moments of tension that were experienced at the airport.
We were there, always supporting and without drama. I know that everything will come and be solved and that it will end well.
Would you change Pedraza for another place?
No. It’s beautiful, it’s close to Madrid, I’ve been here all my life… It’s my town and I consider myself as if I were from here.
What do you expect from 2025?
The basic thing that we all ask for is health, but thinking about myself I would like for my children to achieve the challenges they have to achieve. My eldest daughter is 21, Pedro is 20. Now we are in adolescence and the challenges are finishing courses and entering universities.
Will any of his children follow in his footsteps?
My daughter is now working at Casa Taberna. We have celebrated 30 years with catering and I assure you that it has been an incredible year with some parties that you cannot imagine. Everything is going very well and celebrating this anniversary seems like quite an achievement to me. That, the restaurant… The truth is that I am very happy with what I have achieved. I assure you that I love working and I don’t understand those who want to demonize work because I think it is one of the best things we have in life. Family is essential, but without work we would not be happy. It is the guide of our lives.
This Christmas has been especially hard for the Goyanes family due to the death of Caritina who took her first steps in gastronomy precisely with you.
Caritina started with me first as a waitress and then as a cook. There he discovered this world and later created his company. Obviously it has been a very sad few days. I have spoken with Cari and I think a lot about Caritina.
For dessert, she has been happily married for more than twenty-two years. What is the recipe?
We each have our lives and we work hard, we respect each other, we love each other, we talk… We have a house in the town and it is what gives us life. Leaving Madrid on the weekend and having your space is very important. When they ask me how I get to everything, it’s because I ride a motorcycle. I assure you that it is one of the successes of my life. Also because I have a great team in my house that today it seems that it is frowned upon to say that you have people to help you at home but I have always defended it because thanks to those people I have been able to dedicate myself to my work. Giving them a decent quality of life and seeing how they then evolve and improve is also my challenge. Also as a wish, I hope that on the 25th there will continue to be many company parties where we are now super specialized in addition to weddings and other celebrations.
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