BELL GARDENS, Calif. — Paella may be the national dish of Spain, but a local mother and daughter chef team recently won international honors for their traditional Valencian paella.
The duo beat out 40 other international teams — including many Spaniards who came to compete.
Natalie and Maria Curie are the co-owners and chefs at El Coraloense, a restaurant in Bell Gardens that has been a favorite amongst locals for their traditional seafood dishes. Six years ago, they incorporated their own version of paella onto their menu, and three years ago, the Curies started entering paella competitions using a traditional Valencian recipe.
This year, the mother and daughter won “Best International Paella” at The International Paella Competition in Sueca, Valencia, competing against 40 other international teams vying for the top prize. Natalie Curie said the win was especially important because she and her mom were not only representing the United States, but also Mexicans.
“We were the only Mexicans there in a crowd of like 300 people. They called us 'los Mexicanos Americanos,'” she said.
“I have a video that we took and it’s really funny because it shows all the emotion. The day that we won. My mom and I, I literally grabbed her and picked her up and her little feet were waving in the air, it was so funny,” Natalie added.
Natalie’s mother, Maria Curie, said competing in Spain, against Spaniards, was an intimidating prospect.
“It was scary in the beginning because, of course, it’s their plate. They’re very proud of their paella Valenciana,” said Maria.
Natalie admitted that, although they’ve been making paella for many years, they didn’t officially learn traditional Valencian paella until one week before their first competition.
“One week out from the competition, my mom and I were on YouTube almost 24/7, and every single day of the week we made paella,” said Natalie.
Just two weeks after winning big in Spain, the Curies also competed in World Paella Day Cup, representing Paella Fest United States, where they won second place.
Natalie Curie says she and her mother are not done competing.
“I will never stop making paella, till the day I die," she said.
They also have plans to open a paella restaurant in the near future.