San Diego's Very Own Paellera

Veronica met with Paul Dimech, a retired veteran who started his own catering business, serving highly decorated Artisan Paella.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So what do you do if you're retired and you
love to cook and you want to keep busy. Well,
one local veteran named Paul Demik started his own catering business,
specifically pie.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I'm a retired military slash pietro.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Is that a real word, Yes, it is. It's a
guy cooks paia.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
So it's usually guys because it's like it's like it's
like a barbecue in Spain. It's it's one of the
origin stories the lower paia as it comes from the
contraction of patta aa, which is Spanish for her.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
It's usually guys cooking for their families.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Nice so, you know, especially for novice cooks, they think
that a paiya is too hard.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
What do you what do you say to that?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
No, it is one of the easiest things in the world.
The origins are people peasants in the field in Spain,
just slapping stuff together. Quick, eat something and get back
to work again.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Okay uh.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
One of the origin Another origin story is that comes
from the Arab word for bakia bakiya, meaning leftover paya bakia.
Somehow they think that's derived from it. You can just
empty out your frieger and make this. You mix stuff
that you like with rice and a good stock, throw
it in the pan. Tend to be a pie of pan,
or they sell great pie of pants here we're in
Luck was right, So, but you can just take left

(01:18):
off the throat in your.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Cast iron or any other frying pan.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Add stock to it, ad rice boot you got paiea it's.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Kind of like other countries, you know, casserole. It's got
all of the food groups in it.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yes, it is a single pan meal, and it's cooking
grains with vegetables and fish and or meat or all
of it. And actually I get asked all the time,
what's the true origins of paie? And I said, the
guy invented pie, the same guy invented combing your hair.
It's everyone everywhere.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
It's a logical thing to do.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Just they came up with these these cast iron or
echieving carbon steel pans are kind of flat, although it
could be anything, I think, stainless cast iron whatever. So
really it's a dish that every culture, one way or.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Another has and it's a comfort food.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
It's yes, it's a comfort food you put in there.
I always say three main ingredients for pia is one
got to use a good Spanish rice of Valencian rice,
a good quality stock because that brikes absorbs a lot
of liquid. And then the third ingredient is whatever you like.
You are the world expert.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
On you use what you like. Anything you can.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Go in there really, so tell me if people hear
this and say, okay, I've got to try his pie,
where do they find.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Your Paul's Pie is p A U L S and
then pi A is with an s p A E
L l A S.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Okay, look that up.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
In your browser and you'll see me cooking it on
TV and on KS. I about fifteen times I got
a web page, dude, www.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Paul's Pie as.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
My Instagram Paul's Pie is and the phone numbers there.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Give me a call. I will answer and we'll say something.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Up and it's like you could do like a catering.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
I do cater I've come to your house, your office,
your tailgate. I've worked inside factories before.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
I'll go anywhere.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
So I am in San Diego. San die County is
mostly going to do, but I go to Los Angeles.
I will travel if you want to pay my guess.
I've gone as far as Tampa, Florida.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
So yes, that's true, and this is going to be
like the ultimate hobby for you.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
It is the ultimate. I love in the military.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
I was always the guy you went here for a change,
camarre in ceremonia, a promotion, military weddings.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
I just literally started off as a hobby.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
And I only became a business because I figured I've
already have insurance cause I'm looking for a lot of
people I don't know, so I kind of figure.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
But I still considered as a hobby. If it becomes work,
I'll stop.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
I ran into Paul at Carlsbad Premium outlets. I've never
seen a pan that big in my life, and the
smells coming out of that pan, Oh my gosh. Again
it's paul'spieis dot com.