Only 38 years old, Chef David Abadia is the owner of Tabarka in Ajijic and in Guadalajara.
Originally from Alicante, Spain, Chef David began his career in food working in a restaurant while studying at University to be an engineer! He learned to cook paella the traditional way, and then worked in Madrid and Mexico DF. He then opened paella restaurants in Melbourne, Australia and Tokyo, Japan before moving to Guadalajara and opening his concept --Tabarka -- which combines his roots in paella with his passion for fresh, wild fish.
At CASA, Chef David talked mainly about seafood, while we enjoyed sampling one of his paellas - monkfish, spinach, asparagus and rice.
He spoke about the nutritional and taste importance of wild caught fish versus farmed raised fish; how he selects the best fish everyday at 4 am; and how he creates sauces to complement his daily fish selections. He also told us where the various seafoods come from such as lobster tail, shrimp and scallops.
CASA membership truly enjoyed the presentation and Chef Davis was continually answering questions. He has agreed to return next year during our Seafood Category month and educate and enlighten again.