Our friend Pepe Ruíz provides our Calasparra paella rice, and we always enjoy visiting the tiny town of Calasparra to visit with him.  The rice grown in fresh water, high in the mountains along the Mundo and Segura rivers.  Why grow rice in the mountains?  One story is that centuries ago malaria affected the low lands near Valencia, and as an accident of history, they blamed the disease on the location of the rice fields. When they moved the rice crop to the mountains of Calasparra, the mosquitoes were left behind.  In the new climate the grains of rice took longer to mature, and so are able to absorb an amazing amount of rich broth – the secret of good paella!  Calasparra rice is the only DOP protected rice growing region in Spain, and it is still artisan grown with no insecticides or herbicides. 

	<a href="/food/rice-and-pasta.html">See our artisan paella rice ►</a>

Pepe Ruíz - Rice Farmer

We drove into the driveway of Alfonso’s dairy which was guarded by a great old dog with the wisdom of the ages. Alfonso’s children were playing among the furrows of the farm, and in the background we could see the sheepfold full of ewes who produced the milk for the beautifully handcrafted cheese that Alfonso produces. Among the most interesting were cheeses which had been blended with red wine, others with rosemary. When we met his mother at her home, which served as a small cheese store, she proudly showed us a room full of trophies – it seemed that Alfonso was a champion long-distance runner!

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Alfonso Alvarez - Cheesemaker

Our friends Bernát and his son of the same name work together in a modest workshop in a village on the island of Mallorca. They are a vanishing breed of craftsmen who create olive wood bowls, plates, mortars and pestles and other utilitarian objects from whole pieces of olive wood – nothing is laminated or glued together. The search for large pieces of fallen olives trees is a daunting task, but once the olive wood enters their workshop, father and son transform it to a thing of beauty.  Standing next to them amidst the sawdust and the lathes is a magical event.

	<a href="/table/olivewood.html">See our artisan olive wood ►</a>

Bernát Fiol - Olive Wood Carver

Our friend Jaime Borrás is an enthusiastic owner of Catunambú, a coffee roasting company in Sevilla. He is an energetic man whom we first met in the nearby Parador in Carmona, where he regaled us with an immense amount of information about his favorite topic: coffee. A few days later, we met Jaime among piles of cloth and burlap bags of coffee beans in the warehouse of Catunambú, a famous old firm from Sevilla, founded in 1897. It was an amazing experience to stroll around the warehouse with Jaime - the aroma was unbelievable. We saw bags from up to 20 different countries, all ingredients in a bold yet smooth blend that is the signature flavor of Catunambú - the coffee of Andalucía!<a href="/food/pantry-staples/beverages">See our Spanish coffees ►</a>

Jaime Borrás - Coffee Roaster

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La Tienda's Jonathan Harris discusses the qualities of paella rice from Calasparra Spain

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