Ceramic instructor and amateur chef/food enthusiast Jaime Romero from Manises, Spain, shared his passion for cooking at West Kentucky Community and Technical College recently with a demonstration of an authentic Spanish dish with the college's Culinary Arts program faculty and students in the culinary arts kitchen.
More than 20 college board members, faculty, staff, students, and guests were treated to a personal look at how Romero makes a paella - a classic Spanish dish featuring fresh, local ingredients, including saffron rice, fish and other seafood elements.
In preparing the delicacy the way he learned to make it from his mother, Romero shared through an interpreter, Peter Sierra, the Apprenticeship Project coordinator for Workforce Solutions at the college.
"Wow! The kitchen is wonderful. The students were very attentive; they were expectant of seeing this happen, and that's why I wanted everyone to come by and see the stages of the cooking process," said Romero through Sierra. After the demonstration, guests had the opportunity to sample the tasty paella.
"I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had a lovely flavor and texture," said Chef Erik Engelland, associate professor of the Culinary Arts program and dean of the Applied Technologies division.
"This is just a great opportunity to work with chefs from around the globe to gain a different perspective...and that allows you to adjust your own perspective," said Engelland. "I love this idea of having different people come in and show different techniques, different viewpoints."
WKCTC culinary students studying in the international and classical cuisine class prepared classic Spanish side dishes that complemented Romeo's paella. Engelland said the students gained valuable knowledge from the demonstration and will use what they learned to soon make a paella in class.
Romero's visit to Paducah is part of the Paducah Arts Alliance's (PAA) Artist in Residence Program. The visit is also the result of a dual residency creative exchange that began in July 2022 when Paducah potter/educator Mitch Kimball attended the centuries-old Ceramics Festival in Manises, Spain. Manises is a mutual UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art. Kimball's visit allowed him to work with local artists on a ceramic wall installation project in the city.
"PAA and the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau have collaborated for this timely commemoration of Paducah's 10-year anniversary as a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art," said Rosemarie Steele, a member and promoter of PAA. She said the outcome of the organization and planning between PAA and WKCTC for Romero's demonstration at the college was "magical."
"You walk away from these things with a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction. You've done something beyond what is your normal life, and you've touched another culture," said Steele. As a UNESCO Creative City, she added, "we connect cultures; we bring the world to Paducah."
Of everyone he's met in Paducah Romero said through Sierra, "They are very welcoming, they are very appreciative, they are very kind. I am impressed."
Jaime Romero seasons his paella dish during a cooking demonstration at WKCTC on April 6.
