We recently connected with Paul Dimech and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I have always been an adventurous foodie particularly with dishes from other countries. I was first exposed to paella in 1994 while running the bulls in Pamplona. Love at first sight! At the time I was active duty military and eventually became the guy who was cooking paellas for unit events such as promotion parties, change of command ceremonies and military weddings. Kept making paellas after I retired mostly as a hobby and for family and friends. My daughter convinced me to become a business which I agreed to largely because I was cooking for a lot of people I didn’t know and realized I needed insurance which required a business license.

My unique highly decorated Artisan Paellas started at least a decade before I became a business. At first jut a crab centerpiece with lemon/lime highlights but quickly more elaborate designs such as Maltese crosses, floral patterns and other geometric designs. Paella pans are large flat surfaces and make perfect food canvases!

I always considered paella as a hobby although a passionate one. In 2017, however, I started to appear on local television which kicked things up a notch for sure. Still consider it a hobby though which I believe is the key to its success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My style of paella is absolutely unique although there has been several companies who have attempted to mimic my style. Usually they stop when they start receiving hate mail from Spanish traditionalist who are appalled by deviations from 200 year old recipes. This is a reaction stemming from Valencian resentment over the fact that their creation became the national dish of Spain. Cultural appropriation decades before that was a thing in our culture. I like to say this has given me a competitor induced monopoly which works for me!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I did not come from a paella tradition. In fact, I didn’t even know what it was until I was 34. As such I was very sensitive to the opinions of the old hands when making my first paellas. Around 2014 I became aware of the historical development of paella in Spain and how it was a barrier to creativity. That is when Artisan Paella, in my manner, was born.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

As I mentioned earlier, paella is not my job…..it’s a passion! I will take chances with ingredients and techniques which I would likely not do if my primary motivation was profit. I look at every paella as a learning experience and can honestly say I have never made the same paella twice. Why would I when I learn something new with every paella? Once, a frustrated Paellero who did not approve of my technique tried to end an argument by stating that he had made over 2,000 paellas. I responded that in fact he had only made 4 paellas…..2,000 times. I will not slave myself to 200 year old recipes and my motto is Every Paella Better Than The Last.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paulspaellas.com
• Instagram: @paulspaellas
• Facebook: Paul’s Paellas
• Youtube: Paul’s Paellas
• Yelp: Paul’s Paellas

Image Credits

All mine.