BAUDILIO RESTAURANT BY FABIANA ARÉVALO – VALDERROBRES – TERUEL
Fabiana Arévalo is a very low-Aragonese Argentinean who found her place in the world in Valderrobres, in the heart of Matarraña. She arrived in Spain in 2001 and here she finished her culinary studies, although, she recognizes, «you are always training, reading, visiting restaurants, traveling, attending congresses and all that we cooks usually do».
After several years working in famous places such as La Torre del Visco, in Fuentespalda (Teruel), or Les Capçades, in Horta de San Joan (Tarragona), in 2012, he bet on Valderrobres, undertaking and opening his own business, the Asador Baudilio. But why Valderrobres? «I came to work at La Torre del Visco, I fell in love, I had children… those things that happen,» she jokes. Fabiana got hooked on the Matarraña and put down roots.
She recalls that when she had the barbecue, everyone expected her to be the typical Argentinean: «as soon as they see where you come from, they relate you to barbecues, but I like more elaborate cuisine,» she says. Five years later, in 2019, Fabiana decided to get rid of stereotypes and open the doors of her new Baudilio restaurant by Fabiana Arévalo, a place in which to express herself, unrestrained. «The change of location was crucial, we moved to a very nice place, which we decorated with the help of a Valencian company and in this new stage we decided to give it a more gastronomic twist».
«OUR CUISINE IS MARKED BY THE SEASONALITY OF THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE MOSTLY LOCAL, SOME COME DIRECTLY FROM THE GARDEN TO OUR KITCHEN».
Indeed, Baudilio Restaurant is a cozy place where the wooden beams and stone walls, typical of Valderrobres, combine harmoniously with modern furniture and careful decoration, creating a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy the cuisine of Matarraña.
Its main proposal is the tasting menu which, in addition, he says, «is what we work most on weekends, what most customers demand, who prefer to try several dishes to get to know my cuisine»; although it also has an à la carte menu and a daily menu of 18 euros served from Wednesday to Friday. The restaurant is open from Wednesday to Sunday noon.
Fabiana takes advantage of the richness of the territory to provide «Ternasco de Aragón, nuts, olives, vegetables from our own garden, fish from San Carles de la Rápita…», but does not want to close doors and does not give up bringing beef from the Basque Country or other products of even more distant origin. «I like the idea of zero kilometer, but I like to cook everything».
Her eclecticism also leads her to alternate 100% traditional formulas with more creative ones in which she does not skimp on innovation or the use of new techniques. «We have very classic dishes and other more technical ones, I cook in a vacuum as well as grilled». This mixture of influences, traditions, products and techniques translates into a rich offer that, Fabiana warns, varies frequently, both in the menu and in the tasting menu: «Our cuisine is marked by the seasonality of the products, most of which are local, some come directly from the orchard to our kitchen, thanks to the support and collaboration we receive from producers in the area. We feel an absolute respect for the product which makes our menus and menu to be in constant movement waiting for what the different seasons of the year offer us».
In addition to continuing to use the grill for some of her dishes, from time to time, she resorts to her memory to introduce a «nod to the cuisine of my land», memories, by the way, also very present in the wine cellar of her restaurant, abundant in local wines (Bajo Aragón, Terra Alta…) and other Argentinean wines.
Fabiana definitely found her place in the Matarraña: there she formed her family and gave life to her professional and gastronomic dream, which has now been joined by her son Mehuen. «He was in the School of Hotel Management of Valderrobres and now he has joined our team, along with Silvia, Farida and me». She also recognizes that both the neighbors of the village, as well as her customers, local producers and her own colleagues in the sector have helped her to feel even more in her place: «we support and recommend each other».