Nacho González has taken the reins of the mythical establishment in Costa Teguise, El Bocadito, six months ago and has maintained the menu, which he considers "an incredible gastronomic offering, a benchmark on the island," but "I noticed a deficiency, which was the service."
“Now the attention is incredible. The first rule for the staff regarding the customer is to smile, and we have trained the people who take orders to explain the origin of what customers are going to eat.”
For the new management of El Bocadito, the focus is now on explaining to customers "where the product you are eating comes from, nourishing yourself not only literally, but also informatively. The history of the product is an essential component for me."
“The tomato from Tinajo, for example, has unique properties in the world, because it comes from the rofe, which provides it with a series of unique nutrients, the skin of that tomato is genetically much tougher, and there are different varieties such as black heart, blue sea…,” shares González.
"Coming to Lanzarote was my first trip and my first plane ride"
González grew up and had his first jobs in the countryside: “I was born into a flock of 1,500 sheep, I started working with livestock and crops. By the age of ten, I already knew how to skin a rabbit.”
“Now I miss it, but the countryside is tiring. When you come from the countryside, hospitality is not so hard. Besides, I was good at it, I was very good at socializing, talking to people, it was my gift,” he shares.
After working in countless places in his homeland, one day he decided to travel: “Coming to Lanzarote was my first trip and my first plane ride. I arrived 9 years ago and worked at El Toro with José Juncal, whom I consider my gastronomic godfather.”
González has trained himself in a self-taught manner. “I come from a place where the perception of life is different, studies are secondary, the important thing was that you were prepared for life.”
The entrepreneurial restaurateur shares that he has always been a very restless person, also for learning on his own in culinary matters and languages: “When I arrived in Lanzarote, I had zero English, but thanks to the internet, mobile apps, and talking to people, I can get by now.”
El Bocadito's tortillas have tripled
The new management of El Bocadito has kept both the menu and the kitchen staff.
González shares that the legendary tortillas from the Costa Teguise establishment begin to be made at 5:00 in the morning so they are ready by 12:00 PM. “We make an average of 26 tortillas daily, when I started, we made 9 to 12 tortillas daily.”
The new manager of El Bocadito highlights, in addition to the tortilla, some of the classic dishes of the establishment such as “the chickpea stew, the ribs in sauce, and the homemade croquettes.”
He also explains that they have expanded the selection of meats: “We have diverse cattle genetics, Portuguese Miñota, Rubia Gallega, Barrosa, Maronesa, Retinta, and above all, national Wagyu.”
Regarding wines, González shares that the white wines are from different wineries in Lanzarote and that for red wine, the establishment has about a hundred references from various regions. El Bocadito is open every day of the year between 12:00 PM and 11:00 PM.
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