The Paella Guys celebrate fifth anniversary with a fiesta, May 5 to 7
The culinary experience features the namesake dish as well as tapas, sangria, Spanish music, and more
Javier Blanc, The Paella Guys. Photo by Ruben Nava Mendoza
THE PAELLA GUYS & Co. is turning five, and it’s celebrating the best way the local venture knows how: with a fiesta centred on food and culture. The culinary experience takes place May 5, 6, and 7 at 6 pm at The Ellis Building (1024 Main Street).
Chef Javier Blanc will be cooking a massive dish of authentic paella mixta from scratch. The dish of bomba rice, slow-cooked chicken, red pepper, mushrooms, onions, prawns, tomatoes, garlic, pimentón, and house-made seafood stock comes with bread, lemon wedges, and freshly made garlic aioli.
Spanish barbecue will feature grilled mini chorizo sausages served with escalivada (Catalan roasted eggplant and red bell) and bread.
Also on the menu is a selection of assorted tapas, including anchovy-marinated olives, Marcona almonds, tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelet), and empanada gallega (with tuna, tomato, and peppers). Then there are Ibérico meats and cheeses, including Cinco Jotas acorn-fed 100-percent jamón Ibérico, carved by Antonio Romero Casado of ARC Iberico Imports.
For dessert are house-made churros served with dulce de leche.
The five-course meal will be served in a familia-style table format.
The Paella Guys. Photo by Ruben Nava Mendoza
Live Spanish music is also on the bill, with a DJ playing post-dinner on May 5 and 6. There will be a stand-alone gin and tonic bar, while sangria, Spanish wine and beer, and other cocktails will be available for purchase.
The “guys” behind the Paella Guys are local chef Shay Kelly and chef Javier Blanc, who moved to BC from Spain in 2017. The sole kitchen item Blanc brought with him in his suitcase was a pala, the long, stainless-steel skimmer spoon that’s used to make paella.
The dish’s origins can be traced to Valencia in Eastern Spain, a region that has been growing rice since it was introduced by the Moors about 1,200 years ago. Paella was originally the food of farmers and labourers, who would cook it over flames for a lunchtime meal using whatever was seasonally available. It’s traditionally eaten straight from the pan, each person using a small wooden spoon.
Paella has gone on to become a dish that many Spanish families will gather around on weekends, with sharing and community at its heart. Blanc grew up having it most Saturdays and Sundays with loved ones. The way Blanc sees things, once you share paella with someone, you’re friends for life.
The Paella Guys offer catering services and cooking classes year-round.
Tickets, $120, and more details are here. Stir readers can get 20 percent off for the May 5 and 7 dates with code STIR.DISCOUNT at checkout.
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