In celebration of National Paella Day, Jimmy’s No. 43 is happy to be hosting another one of our famous cookoffs this Sunday, March 24th from 1-3 p.m. Join professional and amateur chefs, plus enter to win some amazing prizes, all for $20 at the door. Proceeds benefit NYC Coalition Against Hunger.
Iberian Beer United will be providing a selection of Spanish craft beers (for additional purchase) that pair exceptionally well with the rich and varied flavors of paella that we can expect to be presented by some of our great chefs. Chefs interested in participating should e-mail Jessica for specifications. Confirmed chefs include:
- Chef Jaume Guerra of Despana NYC,
- Nick Suarez, Owner/Chef of the Backyard Cooking Company,
- Rich Pinto of Rich Pinto Catering,
- Louise Leonard (founding chef at the Blind Tiger),
- Sarah Jay of Paellapans.com,
- Jessica Garcia-Agulló of Iberian Beer United,
- Anthony Belleveau Flores of Rowan Imports (cider paella!),
- Additional chefs, TBA.
Paella comes in all sorts of wonderful varieties including the traditional paella Valenciana chock full of delicious seafood, chicken and chorizo, as well as all seafood paella marinera, caçadora (all meat and sausage), Fideoa paella (with noodles instead of rice), paella negra (with squid ink), and on and on. And although there are traditional Spanish styles, the name paella really refers to the large flat pan that the dish is cooked in, so pretty much any rice or noodle dish cooked in a paella pan can qualify and the possibilities are quite literally endless.
We have some enthusiastic partners for this event who will be presenting super cool prizes to the winners of the cookoff. Spanish Suitcase will present the winner with their “Chef Suitcase” luxury food assortment. Packed in an eco-friendly, travel-inspired cardboard “suitcase,” this gift basket features all the gourmet foods a chef needs to whip up a perfect paella—bomba rice, premium extra virgin olive oil, saffron from chef María José San Román, recipe cards from chef José Andrés, organic sea salt and more. PaellaPans.com will be presenting runner ups with a new Paella pan and also offering discounted paella pans to any guests who want to purchase a pan and cook this dish at home. Despaña Brand Food will be adding gift certificates to complement Iberian Beer United’s basket of Spanish cheer—their seven brands of craft beer from Spain—which will be raffled off at the event. La Rioja will provide a $100 gift certificate as part of the raffle, as well.
Celebrity judges include Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono and Tommy Harder of Blind Tiger.