Navarrese entrepreneur Juan Oficialdegui has just opened the Txoko Teguise restaurant in the new NUA shopping center in Costa Teguise, next to Las Cucharas, inspired by the gastronomic societies of northern Spain and their taste for quality and close treatment.
In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, he explains why he chose Lanzarote and the main gastronomic delights offered in his almost sixty different dishes.
- Juan, what has been your career in the gastronomic world so far?
I started working in hospitality from the bottom, as a runner, as they call it here. Then I started to move up and opened my first rented business, then we continued to grow and I started acquiring premises in Pamplona and improving the type of gastronomy.
- Why did you choose Lanzarote to open this business?
Before coming to Lanzarote, I visited several locations in the Balearic Islands, Tenerife, Las Palmas, Alicante… We saw that in Lanzarote there was potential for growth and we considered that the education and values here are more similar to the values we have in Navarra.
- What is the concept of the restaurant?
Our idea is to create a fusion between the gastronomy of Lanzarote and that of Navarra. With the great product that the island has: rock fish, potatoes, salmon… and the great Navarrese garden. We are bringing artichokes, fresh asparagus, piquillo peppers… Incorporating between 20 and 30% of Navarrese product into the island's gastronomy.
We have almost 60 very elaborate dishes with raw materials that I believe will bring us success. We have what we call the three Cs. The first is quality, the second is quality, and the third is quality.
- What does the word Txoko mean?
In Navarra and Euskadi, a txoko is a private gastronomic society with industrial kitchens, tables, cold rooms, everything very well set up to enjoy food.
Friends, acquaintances, or family gather, bring the product, cook with the infrastructure that is already there, and enjoy cooking all together.
The idea of calling it txoko is because we want customers to be participants in the cuisine being prepared, as a union of everyone. Both in food, service, and care for the customer so that they feel at home.
- What can we find at the Txoko Teguise restaurant?
First, human quality, and then high-quality Navarrese product, and above all, from Lanzarote.
From the bread we buy, which is sourdough, the fish comes directly from the local fish market, the tomato is from Tinajo, the salmon from Uga, carabineros from La Santa…
With salt from Lanzarote we make a mix with red wine from Navarra and create a wine salt that turns out spectacular.
- What is the essential thing we cannot miss trying when we go to Txoko?
The vegetables are something you have to try. An artichoke, a borage, a thistle, a green bean… For example, we make grilled artichokes with the heart of the artichoke, we put a mushroom sauce with a poached egg and then truffle oil.
- Do you open every day?
From January 1st to December 31st without interruption. We open at noon and stay until the end of the night.
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