Travels In Mexico: SECOND PAELLA FESTIVAL OF LAKE CHAPALA

ARROCERIA DEL LAGO

Nine teams cooked wonderfully different paellas, a testament to the fine dish full of flavors, imagination and camaraderie.

By Fco. Nava

Winding up the hills of the Sierras above the Racquet Club, we arrived at our destination, the Fraccionamiento Residencial Constanza, the location of the 2nd Paella Festival of Lake Chapala.

At the top of the hill, with an amazing view of Lake Chapala, the billowing white chandeliered tents marked the spot where nine teams of culinary challengers gathered to test their cooking wares and passions. This year’s teams were Huerto Café, Casa Albufera, Paella Valeriana ,Sazon de San Juan, Gastronomo Callejero, La Paella de Pedro, La Cocina Española, Paella Mimendi and Paella Don Alfonso.

La Arrocería del Lago organized the festival. The passionate organizer of the festival is Paco Romero, “architect by profession and cook by vocation.” On a trip to Valencia, Spain, he fell in love with paella and learned how to cook it. Regarding his initiative to create the paella festival, the promoter of Arrocería del Lago commented: “I am going to come to live here, so this festival is my welcome to the lake and the lake to me. The participants are basically amateurs, people who like to make rice dishes. I hope that the festival will grow and that professionals will also join in future editions”.

Paco Romero

In the paella pans glistened the ingredients of various version s of the dish: yellow, red and orange bell peppers, onions, clams, mussels, squid, snap beans, shrimp, crab, scallops, sausages, bacon, asparagus, chicken, rabbit, pork, green beans, zucchini , paprika, habaneros… and the sacred saffron.

The Lake Chapala Paella Festival was, above all, a space for camaraderie and “covivencia.” The cooking teams truly seemed to be enjoying themselves and the event. Some of the paellas were ready to serve as the event started, while others were well on their way to being completed

What is paella?

The dish takes its name from the wide, shallow traditional pan used to cook the dish on an open fire, paella being the word for a frying pan in the Valencian or Catalan language. As a dish, it may have ancient roots, but in its modern form it is traced back to the mid-19th century, in the rural area around the Albufera lagoon adjacent to the city of Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. There are now many types of paellas and each is different…hence the variety seen at the 2nd Paella Festival of Lake Chapala.

From Valenciana paella to a version made with rabbit, the variety drew your eye to the delicious paellas. Some were made with seafood while others incorporated red meats and vegetables. The flavors ranged from sharp, strong essences to milder, more balanced faire. Each was subtly different.

And the aromas whetted the appetite of the diners who kept arriving and arriving.

Beverage sponsor Tequila Tromba was on hand to pass out samples of their

product. Those who needed something stronger were provided with a full, no-host bar. Red and white wines were served with the meal.

An Andalusian gazpacho was also served along with a Patata Tortilla.

Pancho’s Market provide appetizer plates of select cheeses and cold meats. A special treat was an appetizer plate of Iberian ham.

Dessert consisted of pay de coco a recipe created by Tania Romero, owner of “Pay de Co.”

Tania Romero

The Winners

As diners enjoyed their desserts they also cast their votes for their favorite paellas. The winning paella was Paella Valeriana followed by Huerto Café’s seafood creation. The Cocina Española took third place.

Rocio Meillon, Huerto Cafe

After the flamenco dancers concluded their performances and as the sun set beautifully over Lake Chapala, the 2nd Paella Festival of Lake Chapala started coming to an end. As we left the unique event, we heard music and laughter waft through the hills. With the tables filled to capacity and all stomachs content, the 2nd Paella Festival of Lake Chapala was declared a success.