With more than 35 years of experience in the sector at the helm of the restaurant and catering group La Bastilla, José María Lasheras has been a pioneer in the development of the fifth range in Aragon. Founder of Fetén, a company that offers high-quality fifth range products to the sector, Lasheras is brimming with passion for the hospitality industry, doing things well, and innovation. He recalls how his father described him as “a waiter ahead of his time” and asserts that “fifth range is the future of catering.” He adds, “I’ve seen things that would surprise you.” In this interview, he explains the keys to fifth range, a silent revolution that is transforming the hospitality industry.
What is the fifth range and how does it differ from ready meals?
The fifth range has nothing to do with ready meals. Ready meals should not be confused with pre-prepared meals. The fifth range preserves all the nutrients, properties, flavors, and aromas, without preservatives, additives, or colorants. It is natural food, cooked and packaged in real time, then chilled or frozen, depending on the process. The fifth range is designed for assembly cooking, with quality raw materials cooked at controlled temperatures and ready to be finished by the chef.
How has the world of catering changed since you started?
When I started out in catering 35 or 40 years ago, people associated it with school meals, airplane food… but now the concept has evolved completely. Talking about catering is now something else entirely: people talk about “who catered the wedding.” It has been transformed and specialized.
And will the same thing happen with the fifth range? There are detractors both in the sector and among consumers.
Without a doubt. Little by little, the same thing will happen with the fifth range. Organized catering will opt for fifth-range products, highlighting their quality and provenance. We will see dishes created by renowned chefs and established brands made with fifth-range products. The key is quality.
“Fifth range has nothing to do with pre-cooked food. We need to educate people. It is a natural product, cooked and packaged in real time, which is chilled or frozen, designed for assembly cooking, with quality raw materials ready to be finished by the chef.”
When did it start and why?
Any traditional restaurant, during slow periods or days, prepares sous-vide dishes and then reheats them for weekend service. The preparation of dishes in advance for later regeneration has always existed. The big revolution came with sous-vide and blast chillers. Both techniques changed the hospitality industry by guaranteeing quality and safety.
How exactly does the preparation process work?
By combining both techniques, you can achieve spectacular results. If you cook at a low temperature, for example, a confit, for 60 minutes, you take it out of the oven, put it in the blast chiller and in 8-10-15 minutes you have it at minus 18 degrees. The product has lost nothing at all, and when you recover it correctly, the quality is spectacular. I’ll bet you anything you like: very few people can tell whether a well-prepared, well-chilled and well-recovered product is frozen.
What are the advantages of the fifth range?
The main one is quality. If the process is done right, it’s very difficult to tell a fifth range product from a freshly cooked one. The quality is based on the fact that it’s freshly cooked, chilled and then recovered at the time of service. This is what any high-end restaurant does, what we call “mise en place,” which takes a lot of time. The other big secret is that there is no waste. You never throw anything away because nothing spoils, and this allows for precise cost control. It also guarantees food safety and traceability, something that is increasingly valued.
“When a chef touches a quality fifth range product, they make it their own and turn it into a star dish. This is the future: dishes from established brands and renowned chefs.”
Why do you think it is taking off so much in the sector right now?
Working conditions in the hospitality industry have changed. It is no longer possible to work 15-hour days. The fifth range allows you to have ready-made dishes without having to rely on the chef at all times. If we want to keep this sector alive, we have to make people want to work in it by offering normal working hours.
Where does the organized restaurant industry currently stand with regard to the fifth range?
Many small chains and hospitality groups are already considering setting up their own central kitchens. In the meantime, they are looking for suppliers to make a star product for them, using their own recipes. Some Michelin-starred chefs are already doing this: they either have their own kitchens or commission companies like ours to produce their recipes.
“There is good, bad and average fresh-ready food. With today’s culinary techniques, we preserve and recover all the nutrients, flavor, and aromas of each recipe.”
Fifth range product or homemade artisan product?
Homemade and artisan products sell, but they are not always better. For example, a great homemade croquette made in a traditional bar can pose health risks if not handled properly. We can standardize that homemade recipe in our central kitchen, guaranteeing quality, traceability, and safety.
What role does technology play in the restaurant sector?
Digitization and new technologies are revolutionizing professional cooking. There are already state-of-the-art ovens, combining convection and microwave, which are programmable and allow you to cook a perfect dish at the touch of a button. Some products can be taken out of the freezer, set to program one, and it will do exactly what we have programmed. Automation is here. No one needs to be there anymore. Just take it out and plate it.
How did your company, Fetén, come about?
We started around 2000 making products for our own restaurants: vacuum-sealed confits, low-temperature roasts… When we saw the potential, we developed it further. Now we make meats, sauces, even cooking stocks and complete dishes. We distribute in seven provinces and already have around twenty standard products. And of course, we work to order for groups that ask us for customized products and/or recipes, as well as advice.
When did the “boom” in the fifth range occur?
When the organized hospitality industry realized that it could no longer have chefs working 12 or 15 hours a day. You have to offer your employees a good quality of life. The fifth range allows you to train staff who don’t need to be chefs to guarantee the same dish every time. And with quality.
“Homemade and artisanal products sell, but they’re not always better. They can pose health risks. With the fifth range, we can standardize it, guaranteeing quality, traceability, and safety.”
To what extent is the fifth range established in Aragon?
Much more than people think. We don’t hide it: we work with organized hospitality businesses and specialized distributors. We believe that in the future, the origin and brand of the product will be highlighted on menus, as is the case with ham or wine.
Does Aragonese haute cuisine accept this type of product?
Increasingly, and some more publicly than others. Some chefs already use fifth range products, adapted and customized. They don’t talk about it because it seems to detract from their work, but that’s not the case. Haute cuisine will continue to set the trends, as it always has.
What is the future of the organized restaurant industry?
I’m optimistic. The future is moving toward professionalization, digitization, and organization. There are large companies and young talent, well organized and with clear ideas. In the hospitality industry, margins are very tight, and the fifth range helps to control costs and maintain quality. It is a very profitable business model if done with quality. Haute cuisine will continue to exist, but most of the sector will evolve towards more efficient and sustainable models.
«The future is moving towards professionalization, digitization, and organization. The fifth range helps to control costs and maintain quality. There is no waste, you know what everything costs.“
Is the fifth range economical?
It is not cheap, but when well managed it is very profitable. With no waste and efficient processes, you save on staff, energy, and time. Everything is controlled.
And what was your role in all this? Chef, entrepreneur, manager?
My father used to say to me, ”You’re a waiter ahead of your time.» And I think that’s true. My vocation has always been hospitality, and what I believe is that what matters is not whether a dish is homemade or reproduced in a central kitchen, but whether it is well made or not. And in that respect, a well-made fifth range product can be on a par with any high-end cuisine.
What message would you leave to those who doubt the fifth range?
There are things that are well done, average, and poorly done. Like everything in life. The fact that a product is prepared in the fifth range, in a central kitchen rather than in the restaurant itself, does not make it worse. A well-finished and well-prepared fifth range product can be excellent. And in fact, it is. You have to give the customer what the customer wants, and when the customer chooses a quality product, forget about the rest.
Cover photo: Cristina Martínez. Almozara Agency
