2023 Summer Valparaiso Magazine

CULINARY ADVENTURES AWAIT | DON QUIJOTE RESTAURANT
A TASTE OF SPAIN:
Carlos Rivero and Elana Jambrina,
Don Quijote Restaurant
INSPIRED BY HIS FAMILY’S PASSIONS, CARLOS RIVERO NURTURED HIS
DREAM OF OPENING A RESTAURANT SINCE HIS CHILDHOOD IN SPAIN.
By Katie Bieber
8 SUMMER 2023 |
icture a small coastal city with busy shipyards, fishing
ports, and a backdrop of lush green mountains. Situated
along the Atlantic coast, with a humid oceanic climate and
frequent rain, the weather is comparable to Seattle. This
is Pontevedra, located in Spain's northern region of Galicia,
where Carlos Rivero was born.
"My love for the kitchen started with my dad," said Rivero. His father,
a chef on a Norwegian ocean liner, often spent 8-9 months at sea,
and would travel to far off locations like New York and Argentina. A
beloved local chef, townspeople would postpone weddings and other
big celebrations for when his father would return. Rivero would tag
along to these events, watching and helping his father prepare meals.
"I remember the things he taught me, how he explained things to me,
and the older I get, my mind goes back to those days," said Rivero.
Rivero describes his late father as "very calm and mild," however
his mother, a formidable five feet tall, had "a lot of passion for life,
a lot of energy. The complete opposite of my dad. But I think this
combination of them both is where I learned the passion I have right
now," reflected Rivero.
While his father was away, Rivero's mother took care of the family farm
growing things like kale, cabbage, green beans, broccoli, and with the
warmth of summer sun, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. The rich terrain
and climate of Pontevedra makes it possible to grow crops year-round.
She also took care of chickens, turkeys, and lambs and on Saturdays,
would sell the produce and animals she had tended to so thoughtfully.
Being surrounded by fresh ingredients influenced Rivero’s cuisine
choices as he moved into his career as a restauranteur.
A Dream Realized
At the age of 11, Rivero moved to Madrid where his brothers owned
restaurants. After finishing his schooling, he began working there fulltime.
It was in Madrid where Rivero met and fell in love with his wife
Carol. "It was love at first sight," said Rivero with a warm smile. Carol
was an American teacher, originally from Gary, Indiana, and the two
would eventually move to the states together in 1972. Rivero found a
job working at the Inland Steel Mill, where he would spend the next
30 years.
But in 1985, while still working at the steel mill, he was finally able to
open Don Quijote – the restaurant he had always dreamed of, one that
would introduce Americans to the rich cuisine of his native Spanish
roots. His menu, which largely remains the same as when Rivero first
opened, includes dishes from every region of Spain. Dedicated to fresh
ingredients, Rivero grows produce on an acre-and-a-half of his own
land to provide to the Don Quijote kitchen.
His menu also features three iconic dishes and a drink that are true
representations of Spanish cuisine: gazpacho, paella, sangria, and flan.
The Don Quijote recipe for flan comes from Rivero's Business Partner,
Assistant Chef and Business Manager, Elena Jambrina. Also a native