In Catalonia, Spain, the cuisine is “rooted in sharing a drink and a laugh with your neighbors over little bites of food or a pan of paella for everyone to dig into,” Daniel Olivella writes. The native Catalan chef’s debut cookbook, “Catalan Food: Culture and Flavors From the Mediterranean,” is a colorful celebration of just that.
Olivella was born and raised in a small village on the outskirts of Vilafranca del Penedes, near Barcelona, surrounded by the grapevines and good food that equally saturate the region. Now, at his restaurant Barlata in Austin, Texas, he draws upon the flavors of his childhood to share the food and heritage of his country. In his cookbook, he does the same.
