June 4, 2021

It seems so obvious in hindsight. It all starts with the fire, el fuego. In Argentina, barbecue, or more accurately said, asado, is a world unto itself. Having adopted my wife’s country of birth, I wanted to learn how to do an asado like the locals. I was initially inspired by ones that I had attended as a guest. Everything that came off the grill smelled divine and tasted even better. My inspiration to learn was further boosted by the fact that I had a beautiful Argentine grill in the backyard of our home.

When I made my asado debut, I had high hopes. It was just my wife and me. There was no pressure. I struggled mightily to get the fire started. A lifelong camper, I was no stranger to building a fire to cook by, but I seemed vexed by the wood, the layout of the grill, and perhaps my inflated expectations of the food should taste. After way more time than it should have taken, I got the fire started and was on my way to preparing my first asado. My wife, a very partial super fan of my cooking, thought the food tasted fantastic. I, too, was pleased but having attended dozens of other asados, I knew there was room for improvement.

I became more comfortable around the grill and with each asado, it got easier. In Argentina, the cooking is done with wood – quebracho – not charcoal. Using wood ups the ante because its very nature makes the fire more difficult to manage. Once charcoal is lit, it burns evenly and can, for the most part, be left alone without a lot of attention. That is not the case with quebracho.

I measured my improvement by deviating from the classic Argentine menu of bife, chorizo, and other traditional cuts to more exotic dishes like Patagonia Rainbow Trout and local shrimp from Bahia Blanca. I incorporated local and seasonal products. Vegetables grew in abundance in my garden and, while not groundbreaking, they seemed to raise eyebrows and pique interest when placed on the grill. Guests were ‘impressed’ that the gringo could pull off an asado.

After years of incremental change, I had a breakthrough. The pandemic arrived, and the asado became a place of escape. I began to cook once a week. I always enjoyed the process–– choosing the wood, conversing with the butcher about each cut of meat, selecting various seasonal vegetables and the perfect wine to pair with my asado. It was all part of a ritual I had grown to love.

One day, a friend commented on how much he enjoyed my asados. We began to discuss the culture of asados, the preparation process, the ritual culminating in the gathering of friends and family. I told him of my initial struggles with the fire. Gently grabbing my arm, he looked me in the eye and said, “Che, el fuego es todo.” The fire is everything. He said it in a subtle yet serious manner, and I took it to heart. Without the fire, nothing else would fall into place.

The fire is the source where it all begins, he said. You must tend to it continually with love like an Italian tends to their risotto. I couldn’t help but think about how his advice applied to other aspects of life. Isn’t it true that a business’s success largely depends upon the strength of its source? And just like the fire, a business needs to be cared for and preserved. I began to see the parallels between business and backyard asados. When minding the source, everything else will fall into place.

Since that breakthrough, I now focus solely on getting the fire started and tending to it regularly. A robust supply of kindling and extra wood is always at the ready.

Have you started seeing something in a new light that you hadn’t seen before, even if it was right in front of your face? If so, how did changing your perspective change your life or your business? Storyteller and Vulnerability Researcher Brené Brown once said, “Light owes its existence to the dark.”

Without vulnerability, an open mindset to see things from different perspectives, and a genuine desire to care for the source of whatever it is that’s important to you, it’s almost impossible to grow. Accepting imperfection and taking a step back so you can see the source of something at a certain distance to appreciate its true value can be life-changing.