Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose A. Padilla.
Jose, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In the summer of 2015, we were visiting my family in Spain and I had to buy an authentic paella, the pan to make this dish. But after having the paella, I needed the burner, and the tripod, and many special ingredients like the saffron and the fabas. I came back with a complete set to make paellas, for us, at home; and that was the case until our very good friends, who were moving to another state, asked us to cook a farewell paella, And so, I did.
In that party, many people started asking me about the paella; I told the story about how my family recipe came to be what it is today, a fusion of amazing flavors from Spain, the middle east and Latin America. Right in that moment when I was explaining about the broth and the jumbo shrimps (in Venezuela where I spent most of my adolescence and adulthood there are no bogavantes), this nice guy asked me to cater for him next weekend. I didn’t even know how much to charge for the paella, but I said yes. And the rest is history. Now after two years and a few months we have served more than 6,000 paella lovers in the Metroplex. This is our growing family business, it is something I want to do the rest of my life, and lucky me, my kids want to continue this legacy too, they both are learning to cook paella, they are paelladores just like me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been a smooth road, yes. We have been solid booked since June 2016; the only struggle is the short but harsh winter season when normally people don’t want to have a cookout paella. We have built this from scratch, we haven’t had any money to invest upfront, I wish we had but we didn’t. At the beginning we were very cautious with our expenses, I sacrificed costs like not buying a nicer apron or chef’s jacket to invest in premium ingredients. Now, we have beautiful outfits, tables, equipment, and some astonishing pop material with our homemade logo.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Paella 1513 – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are the only Paella catering in the Metroplex that specializes entirely in paellas and fideuas; we don’t offer (for know) any other dish. In our culture paellas are dishes to share in relaxed and familiar settings. Therefore we don’t try to glamorized it more than it already is, but certainly our paellas exuberant and attractive to all the senses.
We are very proud of our signature paella, a mixed paella, not a traditional one: for as much as I am Spaniard, I most combine luscious ingredients from other latitudes. We have managed to fussed several cuisines; the broth is Valenciano, the smoked peppers are Arabic, the lemon and decoration are pure latino, This is how my family, who emigrated from Spain to Venezuela and lived there almost 40 years, has cooked paellas ever since I can recall.
Definitely what sets us apart is that we prepare a meal that you will enjoy with all your senses, and remember for a long time.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are ready for expansion. We are going to ask for a loan and buy a paella-movil, we are going to hire a couple of cooks who share our philosophy and we are going to be everywhere, always remaining a family business, always maintaining the high quality and fair prices.
Pricing:
- For every plate of mixed paella, $16
- For every plate of vegetarian paella, $14
- To stay and serve after cooking, $100
Contact Info:
- Website: www.paella1513.com
- Phone: 4694500124
- Email: paella1513@gmail.com
- Instagram: @paella1513
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/paella1513
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