Role de Rigo, Pateco, will never forget where he was in November of 2008.

At that time, he was at the top of his career.

He was 25 years old, working as a sous chef at a restaurant with two Michelin stars

in a prestigious French hotel. Outfront patrons were anxiously waiting to be served some of the

best meals of their lives. But behind closed doors, the kitchen was held.

That's right. The chef burned his arm with a skillet, una sartén. On purpose,

other times she would throw salt in his face. Physical aggression and mistreatment was an

everyday thing.

That could not be the correct way. I knew there was another way to cook,

to connect with food and with the workers.

After 10 years cooking in Europe, far from his native Ecuador, Role de Rigo longed for a more

meaningful connection to his work and his food. So whenever he was under duress at the restaurant,

he would close his eyes and try to imagine himself in the kitchen of his childhood.

Role de Rigo knew it was time for a change. Even if it meant giving up on the fame and success,

he had worked so hard to attain.

Bienvenidos and welcome to the Duolingo Spanish podcast. I'm Martina Castro.

Every episode we bring you fascinating, true stories to help you improve your Spanish

listening and gain new perspectives on the world. The storyteller will be using intermediate

Spanish and I'll be chiming in for context in English. If you miss something, you can always

get back and listen again. We also offer full transcripts at podcast.duolingo.com.

When Role de Rigo Pachico was a kid, something always bothered him. Every time he invited a friend

to his house, they came up with a new excuse for why they couldn't come over. Why didn't anyone want

...