Paella Party

Enjoying a Taste of Santa Barbara with Loquita’s Chef Sergei Simonov

Loquita Executive Chef Sergei Simonov guides students through the ins and outs of making paella. | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg

The beautiful, smoky flavors of Spain took the spotlight at Taste of Santa Barbara’s paella cooking class last week with Loquita Executive Chef Sergei Simonov. Under the expert guidance of Chef Simonov — whom I felt like I got to know earlier this year when I binged his star-in-the-making season on Netflix’s Pressure Cooker — the intimidatingly fancy-looking (and mouthwateringly tasty) “Chorizo y Pollo Paella” dish was actually quite manageable and fun to make.

Cheers to learning how to make paella as part of the 2023 Taste of Santa Barbara program! | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg

Of course, the assistance from the team of sous chefs at the Apples to Zucchini Cooking School, where the class was held, didn’t hurt, nor the did the skills of my kitchen partner Alexandra (Alex) Bongaerts, a lovely woman who warmly welcomed me into her group and incidentally owns the flower wonderland Florabundance in Carpinteria.

We started the paella party with sangria and a nice assortment of breads and cheeses as Chef Simonov gave us some background on the dish, which was right off Loquita’s menu.