Anthony Bourdain R.I.P.

The news that world traveler chef Anthony Bourdain died yesterday made me search around YouTube to see if he had ever traveled to Ecuador.  Yes - he had brought his film crew to Ecuador to sample the cuisine and culture - and so I watched the episode in Spanish, and counted it as good homework practice, as well as a tribute.  Though he didn’t feature Cuenca, he did visit a little open air seafood restaurant on the coast in Manglaralto.  It was charming to see a hardworking, strong-willed grandmother serving up seafood stew for a world famous chef.  Her ex-son-in-law was Bourdain’s guide and he made it clear she was a force of nature.

When I search online for the restaurant, I find it has closed, but one of the same name pops up in Cuenca.  Ben is game to go in search of it.  This involves a walk through our familiar historic El Centro, across two rivers and multiple stops to double check google maps. I am sporting my new Panama hat, but more on that subject in a future post :)

The restaurant is a converted casa on a hillside with great views of Cuenca and the Cajas mountains.

We get a table on the veranda with the great view in the distance and also the chance to watch the kids from the next table frolic in the yard and play with the friendly cat.

The owner, Antonio, welcomes us and confirms that his grandmother was the concinera (cook) who proudly served her specialty to Bourdain.  They are saddened by the news.

Antonio is carrying on her recipes in the new location.  He recommends we share a ceviche and the famed Calderada seafood stew.  

We are quite pleased by the arrival of the ceviche.  Antonio tells us to stir in the sweet diced pineapple and the onion and pepper mix.  The shrimp and fish are incredibly fresh and the combination is just delicious.

The restaurant is filling up and Antonio is harried managing all the tables on his own.  In due time our Calderada arrives in it’s own pot ready to be discovered.

Lifting the lid reveals a bounty of the sea inside - a stew of shrimp, shellfish, squid and fish in a savory broth made with fish stock, beer and bread.  It is all so delicious and having watched the video earlier of Antonio’s abuela preparing it seaside in her thatch roofed kitchen, I can feel the same delight Bourdain did. 

After our meal. Antonio lets me snap a picture of the kitchen, meanwhile apologizing that it is messy.  That just seems so appropriate - just as at home we stack dirty pots and pans and face a stack of dirty plates, all because we want to produce a meal that expresses our love for those at the table. 

Thanks, Anthony Bourdain, for using food as a way to connect people, stories and culture.  You inspired us today to follow your footsteps and discover a new food and a family story we would never have known.