Did your high school guidance counselor ever tell you, "Do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life?" If someone ever said that to Juan Campos, it seems he only heard half of it. He does what he loves, but man does he work! More than a decade ago, he arrived in Shanghai with no connections to speak of. We now know him as the force behind Sakaba Malabar, RAW Eatery and Terrakota. Even sitting with him to sample some of the newest dishes on RAW's menu, we got the distinct vibe that he'd rather throw on his apron and tend to his Josper oven. But we kept him at the table long enough to learn a bit about what fuels his fire.

Why did you want to become a chef?

Actually, I never thought of being a chef, but I was always cooking. And I think I grew up in a special place, Venezuela. We have a lot of immigrants from Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Japan and the Middle East, so there is so much good international cuisine there. My parents don't cook, so I grew up eating mostly in restaurants, and I experienced a lot of food from a lot of different places.

So, when did you start seriously considering a career in cooking?

I went to Spain when I was around 19 years old. That's when everything changed. Just walking around in Madrid with my father. Everywhere I looked, I was, like, "Wow! This life!" We just didn't have anything like this in Venezuela. I mean, we have some interesting dishes – cheeses, baked goods. Most of them are adapted from Europe because so many of us have European roots. We have good ingredients too. But our local gastronomy doesn't run as deep as it does in Spain.

This was when I really became a foodie and a home gourmet. And I started getting a lot of compliments on my cooking. But at that point, it was just a hobby, nothing serious. I was still working with my dad in the textile industry.

So, how does one make the jump from textiles to cooking?

I started to take some courses in cooking. It took me a lot of time, about three years to get the knowledge I needed. Then I decided to jump to the kitchen. It was a tough decision. I knew I would probably only make about one-third of what I was making in textiles – at least at the beginning – because I would be starting from zero. And I was accustomed to a certain standard of living working with my dad.

Was your dad disappointed that you decided not to follow in his footsteps?

Not at all. He was always like, "You do whatever you feel." So, anyway, when I finally took the leap, the first thing I thought was, "I don't want to be this guy doing this same thing for 20 years." In so many kitchens I've worked in I saw people who were stuck because they had zero passion. But I wanted to learn as much as I could – from my bosses, from the waiters, from the chef, from everyone. Meanwhile, I'm cutting my damn finger with my knife every single day. It was crazy.

How did your journey in the kitchen start, and evolve?

So, the first place I worked was a Japanese restaurant, a sushi place, because I'm crazy about Japanese cuisine. I think it's the finest. In terms of flavor, delicacy, the play, the technique.

Then I ended up in London. I don't know if you know about Gaucho Grill. So Gaucho is a very strong, high-end, steakhouse. Argentina-style. But what was so impressive about it for me was just what they did in the kitchen. It was their entire way of doing business. The kitchen was really good, really strong. After about three years, I was about to move on to a new restaurant that a friend of mine was opening. But ultimately, Shanghai presented itself as an option, and my girlfriend didn't like London, so Shanghai won out.

I had nothing set up, my girlfriend had a contract here. I said, "Okay. Let's go." I'm glad I did. When I got here, it felt like the New York of Asia. Everything was happening. It was the right time in terms of opportunity. I met the right people. I was very lucky.

Why did you turn Malabar into a Sakaba Malabar?

So, the city was changing a little bit, and the concept was already eight years old. It was time for a refresh. But that's hard when you have a place that's successful and has a lot of history. So I just decided, "Let's twist it. Let's put something extra on the table." I love Japanese food, and it's pretty compatible with Spanish cuisine – you know, small bites, tapas, things like that.

Your sister is the chef there …

My older sister, yeah. She had a burger shop in Venezuela at the time. The original chef I was working with on the project backed out. So, I called my sister. I told her, "I have an offer for you. I need someone here I can trust." She wasn't a chef, but understood how restaurants work. I created all the concepts anyway, so I just trained her up little by little.

Where do you like to eat when you're not working?

For Italian, I love Palatino. They have my favorite pizza. I prefer Romana over Napoletana. It's thin, crunchy, super light. Bella Vita for pasta. It's very good. Top-notch. For Japanese, I love Ochiyo. El Paisa has good Mexican street tacos. But if I want an al pastor, I go to Chihuahua. For Chinese, one of my favorites is that Yunnan place, Legend Taste.

What would you be doing with your life now if you weren't a chef?

By now, I would have had so much experience in textiles that I'd probably be a fashion designer.