In 2005 I opened a tiny little speakeasy style
restaurant with Catalan Ricardo Feriche. He had a space and the idea to do something
with food but wasn’t sure how. He listened to my ideas, liked them and offered
to be the financial backer to my dream. I had never run a restaurant before and
was at the time working as a freelance illustrator. My goal was to cook my
style of food that would nourish and inspire people, not inspire them with the
food but rather inspire them to enjoy themselves and whoever they where dinning
with.
Food is amazing, it
can bring people together like few other things can. Passing a perfect forkful
to the person on the other side of the table, that simple act says so much. The
memories, flavors and smells can bring. Not to mention the culture to each dish
and the amazing amount of work that goes into each mouthful of food. Take for
example a simple tomato dressed with olive oil and salt. Someone has grown the
tomato, I am not talking about mass grown produce. Someone has worked the soil,
then at the right time of year a seed especially saved from last years crop is
planted into the prepared soil and the bush is loved and tended to on an almost
daily bases until in the late summer you have this amazing sun ripened beauty.
Then for the olive oil…. A tree, tended and loved in many cases for
generations, the olives are hand beaten from the trees onto fine nets on the
ground, collected and separated from the leaves and other debris. Taken to the
press where the olives are washed. Then they are ground into a fine paste for
around 30 minutes to extract the best flavor. They come out of the grinder as a
disc which is then transferred over to a press. As many as six discs are made
for each pressing. The oil is extracted with the help of water. The water and
oil and separated, oil is bottled, transported and ends up in a kitchen with a
handsome ripe tomato. Salt…… ok you get the message. So when we put a fork full
of food in our hungry mouths sometimes its worth stopping to contemplate the
amount of time and effort it takes just for the one mouthful.
So Tapioles 53 opened.
I was terrified. Six tables for an average of 20 people per night. Only open at
night with reservations only. I cooked for the people who booked. Each morning
I would go to the market and buy what looked fresh and fantastic. I would then
bicycle myself and the food back to Tapioles 53 and spend the day cooking in
the wonderful kitchen. The food was inspired by the season, ingredients and
then from my travels. I never cooked Spanish food, it seemed silly to be an
Australian cooking Spanish food in Spain.
As the clients came in I would go to each table and explain the food.
They didn’t get much choice, there was a three course dinner where they could
choose from two starters, two mains and several deserts or a 5 course meal with
no choice but what I thought was the best of the season, and in general my
favorites. I loved this moment…. Meeting the clients and telling my food
stories. So that’s what I want to do here….. because two kids and a restaurant
like Tapioles 53 are a little like water and oil. I just couldn’t give each the
time and love they needed and in the long run I knew my kids where going to
win.
I closed Tapioles 53 on 15th of March
2011. I was 7 months pregnant with Adela our little girl, soon to be little
sister to Enzo.
