Terraforming the Dining Landscape. Restaurateur Gaby Alves of SALT and TERRA

Gaby Alves is a veteran of the Beijing restaurant scene, and one of its most respected players. Since coming to China from Brazil seven years ago, the former professional volleyball player has opened a series of acclaimed restaurants and emboldened scores of adventurous chefs. Beginning with Alameda in 2003, and followed by SALT in 2007, her South American-inspired menus have earned her a consistent stream of “best of” awards, as well as a horde of dedicated customers. Her latest venture, TERRA, opened in Sanlitun earlier this year. The welcoming and energetic Alves met up with Agenda to share the secrets behind her success.

You used to be a professional volleyball player. How did you make the transition from the court to the kitchen? Well, both are quite challenging in terms of competition. They play very good volleyball in Brazil, but when I was playing, nobody was getting paid. I just did it for fun, because I had a passion for it. But a lot of things about the sport actually prepared me for what I'm doing now. In volleyball, as in the restaurant business, there are no routines. You're always doing something new, and that makes it really exciting. There's also some "serving" and some "spiking" here and there, rallying the team and so on. But I think the real continuities between the two are the challenge and the passion.

You came to China from Brazil. How does that influence the way you do business? Doing business in Brazil, you have to be very persistent. Competition is so stiff there that you only have a very small chance of survival. But this teaches you to be versatile, and juggle a lot of responsibilities at the same time. There is also the fact that the laws there tend to favor the big, multinational companies, and the smaller ones have to put up with very changeable regulations. So you constantly need to adapt and make new decisions in order to play the game.

What made you decide to settle in Beijing? Mainly opportunity. And of course all of the rest of the world is thinking the same way nowadays. It's the sleeping tiger that is now thrashing and biting! So this is the place to be, especially in the food and beverage industry. When I first came here seven years ago there was next to nothing. There was a huge opportunity in Beijing in terms of what you could offer, and in terms of novelty. You could really explore a lot of exciting options. Nowadays it's a bit overwhelmed and saturated. It’s still very exciting though.

So how has your approach to the restaurant business changed in the time you’ve been here? Well, I think the competition has continued to become fiercer and fiercer, and as a result you have to be really dedicated to management, keeping everything under control, and maintaining a high standard of service. There's always something you can improve a little bit more. You face novelties and obstacles every day. It's really endless, but that means there's always good work to be done, and you please people a little bit more all the time.

What's the story behind the names SALT and TERRA? Do you have a philosophy for naming your res-taurants? The philosophy is about what is fundamental in every part of our life. There is a very old expression about salt: "the salt of the earth," which refers to the meaning, the flavor, the taste of life, and everything that comes from the earth. And the natural compliment to salt is terra, or earth. Each is part of the other, and both bring everything that we have in life. They are the origin of flavor, taste... everything! They're quite complex names, actually, although they appear to be very simple. Salt is one of the most important and oldest ingredients to be traded. It's also in every food we eat. You could write a whole "salt bible" explaining its origins, its history, its bio-physiology, its significance, and so on. There's also an expression "you're the salt of my life" which means that someone is the meaning of your life.

What do you try to accomplish through your cuisine? What I always try to accomplish, what never changes for me, is that I try to bring forward different flavors, and different approaches to flavor. I also always try to blend, to go back to food at the chemical level and really see what can be done with all the dimensions of taste.

What is the hardest thing about owning a restaurant? I think it's fascinating. I'm passionate about it, and that's what drives me, but if you didn't have that, you wouldn't be in this business. It’s very intense, and you have to be very hands on. Especially with what I do, you're always working with an image or a concept. Of course, you always want to just be yourself, but you always need to be a kind of cultural envoy as well. I think if there's anything that really lets you down, it's the regulation. The laws are not very well defined, so one day it's A, the next day it's Z, and depending on the season of the year, you don't know who is going to come to your door and tell you what you have to do. The regulation is just very volatile and it's quite hard to deal with it. Even after you've been here for a long time, it still gets you a little bit.

And what is your favorite thing about owning a restaurant? I think it's the recognition that you have from your loyal customers. When customers are coming to your place twice a week, or something three times a week, it's better than any award or trophy you could ever get. And just interacting directly with them is very enjoyable. Of course, some days you just aren't prepared to deal with everything that the job throws at you. We're just human beings, after all, and you can't run a restaurant like a machine. Sometimes you're just in a different frame of mind, and you can't really give a 100 percent performance. But the customers always make you feel great at the end of the day.

What would you say is your greatest accomplishment? There are two things. One is that I've got a staff that has been with me for five years, some of them ever since I came to Beijing. And for me, that shows that we're doing well, that we have a good team, and that I don't treat them so badly! (laughs) And the other is the recognition and loyalty of the customers.

Besides your own restaurants, what are your favorite places to hang out around town? (Laughs)! Well, being a restaurant owner you don't really have much time to hang out! At the end of the day you are so exhausted that you just want to go to your home. That's the best place to be. I love my house, and my dog and my cat, and I love to go back to my sanctuary. But when I do go out, I'm a foodie. I quite like the old places in Beijing. I like "Flo’s," because I like my oysters, with my Champagne, which in the winter is quite nice. And also traditional Chinese places, especially hot pot and Sichuan food!

Are there any local volleyball leagues in Beijing? Actually yes! Well, not really leagues, more like clubs. But you can play volleyball here all year long. During the summer we have beach volleyball in Chaoyang Park every weekend. Unfortunately the summer here ends a bit too early, but we play until the end of September, or maybe into October. There are also clubs at Western Academy Beijing (WAB), near the Riviera, and the International School of Beijing (ISB), by the airport. WAB is a bit more high level, and at ISB it’s a bit more for fun.

SALT 盐 Mon-Sat noon-3pm, 6-10.30pm, Sun Brunch noon-4pm. 2/F, 9 Jiangtai Xilu (opposite the Japanese School, west of Rosedale Hotel), Chaoyang District (6437 8457) 朝阳区将台西路9号2层（珀丽酒店西边）

Terra Tue-Sun, 11-1am. 1 Sanlitun Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6591 9148) 朝阳区三里屯南路1号

Brasserie Flo 北京福楼餐厅 Daily 11am-3pm, 5.30-11pm. Rainbow Plaza (Longbo Guangchang), 16 Dongsanhuan Beilu (south of the Great Wall Sheraton), Chaoyang District (6595 5135/9) 朝阳区东三环北路16号隆博广场二层