From a simple beach shack to the guardian of a century-old recipe, Casa Carmela is renowned for serving Spain's finest paella, even praised by Chef Dabiz Muñoz. The fascinating story of Casa Carmela.
The Story
When you mention Valencia, any food enthusiast will respond with paella. The typical local version of this dish, famous worldwide as one of the cornerstones of Iberian culture, is precisely what captured the creative genius of Dabiz MUÑOZ, the chef of DiverXo, the restaurant ranked third in the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023. In Valencia, you can find Casa Carmela, the small place that, according to Spain's most irreverent chef (and not only him), prepares the best paella in the country. Muñoz openly declared this in a post on his Instagram profile, showcasing the "land" version with snails and Senyoret rice.
At Casa Carmela, since 1922, the most flavorful of Spanish first courses has been prepared following the recipe and secrets of Doña Carmen, who founded the establishment together with her husband Don José. Even today, with the fourth generation at the stove, they honor the traditions set by their great-grandmother without any compromise. "Casa Carmela started as a shack that served as a changing room for occasional bathers on Valencia's beach. Every day, my great-grandfather José Belenguer went to the Vera orchard, where the family lived, to serve the Madrid tourists who came on vacation here. It was 1922, and he decided to name the business after his wife, my great-grandmother, Carmen. Over time, in addition to hosting tourists, Casa Carmela also started offering quick meals. Then, Uncle Toni and Lola 'la rialla,' my grandparents and the founders' children, started raising courtyard animals in the back, as well as continuing to use the fruit and vegetables from the garden. With these ingredients and the fish brought in daily by the boats, my grandmother prepared stews for occasional vacationers and, above all, for her regular customers," says Toni.
Since the 1920s, one of Casa Carmela's secrets has been to cook paella solely and always with firewood from the orange tree, giving the rice that unmistakable smoky aroma and enhancing the flavors of the land and sea. Since 2011, it's Toni himself who carries on the family business, carefully preserving the heritage left to him by his great-grandparents. Just like back then, today, the paella at Casa Carmela is still shared in the center of the table, but with the latest renovation, diners who want to have lunch in a more intimate setting can choose to sit in rooms reserved for events or business meetings.
"My daily challenge is not just to keep a 'ship' with a 100-year history afloat, accommodating over 150 diners, preparing about 25 dishes for each service, and managing a team of over 30 people. My challenge is to do all of this knowing that four generations of my own family are watching me from the past, encouraging me, so that dining at Casa Carmela remains a different, delightful, and, if possible, unique experience."
