Event Review and Photos by Francisco (Fco.) Nava
The Fourth Paella Festival of Lake Chapala promised to be a very special and unique event...and it was! On Saturday October 19th, 2024 at 12 noon at the Centro de la Cultural y Arte de la Ribera de Chapala (CCAR) in La Floresta 200 guests, 7 paella teams, a small army of bartenders, waiters, musicians and volunteers arrived to kick off the delicious annual event.
The Paella Festival is a culinary competition challenging the competitors to outdo each other by creating traditional and alternative forms of the well known dish. The event was a fundraiser for Poco A Poco San Pedro Itzican, A.C., a non-profit organization that helps the people in the small villages east of Mezcala by saving people and improving lives.
www.pocoapocosanpedro.com
The afternoon started off with drinks, appetizers and entertainment. As the guests found their tables the smooth styling of baritone Victor Danier, Cuban crooner were heard, singing selections from the American Songbook.
The paella teams exuberantly cooked away and the guest were free to wander through the cooking area, taking in the tempting fragrances and freely speaking to the chefs about their varied paellas. The cooks began to show off their culinary arts, but, above all, their good humor and camaraderie. Because, unlike the culinary contests so fashionable in which the contenders suffer and are humiliated, the Paella Festival of Lake Chapala is, above all, a space for coexistence and joy.
As the guests anxiously waited for the paellas to be done, they were further entertained by our own Lakeside Jazz Trio and offered wine selections from La Estramancia and tequila and mezcal tastings from Taja de la Mora. Spanish cocas and tortillas were passed around and sampled along with a raspberry liquer specially made for the event by Paco Romero.
The creator 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 have come to live here, so this festival is my gift to the lake and the lake to me. The participants are basically amateurs and professionals, people who like to make rice dishes. Francisco (Fco.) Nava was co-producer of the festival along with his brother Paco Romero.
Finally at 3 p.m. the guests started lining up to taste the paellas. Traditional paella valenciana, squid ink paella, mixed seafood paella, vegetarian paella were just a few of the selections and guests were free to try any or all of the aforementioned.
While the guests ate, a coupon book raffle was held and the winning top 3 paella teams were awarded: 1st place went to Bernardo Huerta for his mixed paella, 2nd place went to Javier Jalorno and Bernardo Cisneros for their country paella and 3rd place to Humberto Rojas, Bernardo Huerto and Juan Carlos Castañeda for their squid ink paella. After the main course, a dessert of delicious pay de limón (lemon cheesecake) was served, provided by Pay de Co in Guadalajara.
Then the main attraction took to the stage and performed a wonderful flamenco show. Chess was the flamenco troupe brought from Guadalajara to entertain the guests and they got everyone’s blood flowing. They were a hit and everyone asked after the troupe.
At approximately 6 p.m. the afternoon wound down and the guests started leaving. They departed with heartfelt thanks and applauded the afternoon of delicious food, fun entertainment and wonderful camaraderie.
Look for us next year at the 5th Paella Festival of Lake Chapala.
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