Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Pedro Figueredo. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Created in 2018 by Dr. Pedro Figueredo, an orthopedic surgeon who was raised in Venezuela with paella being the staple dish in the family for almost all occasions due to the Spanish influence of his parents. Making paella was always his passion.
His paella journey started in 2018 when he came to America and decided to leave his high profile and pursuit his second passion, food.
He found the United States the perfect multicultural opportunity to get people to know the traditional Spanish paella and the evolution of the dish, adapted to the palate of the south in the United States.
Paella’South is a family small business, every member has a purpose and vision to make the business successful.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not easy to introduce this Spanish dish to the customers, there were days in which the selling’s were low but consistency was the key to the success. It took 2 years to build our paella customer community and is growing every day.
After 4 years, we have more than 200 people visiting us at the soda city market every Saturday. We also open a new food trailer that is visiting different places around the city to bring paella everywhere.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a Doctor, I am passionate about reading and research. I have been fortunate to enjoy and know the SC culture through its history. Constantly I am researching Spanish gastronomy and the American and European gastronomical fusion in the USA. I have specialized in cooking the traditional Spanish dish keeping it traditional (all ingredients are brought from Spain) and taking it to the next level “the fusion”.
I am known for cooking the traditional paella live show but also for creating a new concept based on Spaniards out of Spain around the world who used the ingredients from the area to make arroces a la paella, one of the reasons I was inspired to create one of my signature’s paellas called Souther paella (arroz sureño a la paella), inspired in the flavors of SC and also be the first one to cook the jambalaya (a famous dish from Louisiana) under the paella technic.
I am proud of sharing this extraordinary dish that represents the Spanish culture and use this technic to offer other alternatives using traditional ingredients from the area.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Columbia, its people, are very educated and kind. The patience they have when I am trying to speak their language and of course the wonderful gastronomy around the city.
It is the most vibrant and lively place in the world that you will never cease to be bored exploring. Columbia is great for its diversity. Lots of students from different places, and different backgrounds.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.paellasouth.com
- Instagram: @paellasouth
- Facebook: @paellasouth
