Pipo Duque and Nauzet Morales are uncle and nephew and have always been involved in the hospitality business. Six years ago, they decided to open their own business, Pintxos Shop, in their hometown, La Villa de Teguise. There, Morales creates new Basque-inspired pintxos every day, but with Canarian products and sensibility.
In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, they explain how the business idea came about and what their philosophy is.
- Where are you from and how did your relationship with cooking begin?
Morales: We are from the Villa de Teguise, from a hospitality family. We have always been linked to restaurants and grew up in a kitchen.Duque: I slept in a room next to the family restaurant.
- How did the idea to open Pintxos start?
Morales: We are uncle and nephew, and we were both a little tired of working for others, and one day we had the idea of opening a place that we liked, and we opened Pintxos. On November 10th, we will have been open for six years.
- Pipo, why did you choose to be in the room?
Duque: I love dealing with the public and the profession. I have a gift, people like me, I have a lot of patience. (Laughter).
- The restaurant also has a shop…
Morales: Yes, we have a section for preserved goods. We sell mussels, cockles, razor clams. You can take them home or eat them here at the establishment, as you wish.
- When you opened, were you clear about what you were going to serve, or was it more of a trial-and-error process…
Morales: It was all an adventure. We are the most surprised. We wanted to change our lives and disconnect a bit on weekends doing something we enjoyed. We knew we wanted to have local products, for example wine from Mr. Perdomo (Bodegas Reymar) and fish from Pescasol, whose manager is a good friend of ours, but not specifically the tapas we were going to make.
We are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Friday, I go early in the morning, do the mise en place, put eggplants and peppers to roast, we do everything on the same day. Pipo goes shopping every day and brings, for example, two packages of smoked salmon, cod, anchovies…
Nauzet Morales (Pintxos Shop): “The nice thing about the place is that you walk in and I’m always making something”
And if the skewers run out for the day, are there more options?
Duque: there's always something. We also have some good Iberian cured meats like salchichón, chorizo, and loin that we serve on the spot with the slicer. We have cheese from the island and from Fuerteventura.
- What are your hours?
Duque: On Fridays, we are open from 4:00 PM until midnight, with the kitchen open until 10:00 PM. Saturdays from 12:00 PM to midnight, and on Sundays, when we have live music, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
- Nauzet, how long does it take you to prepare all those tapas you have on the counter?
Morales: The hours I'm there, I'm always creating. That's my job. Pipo is the one who handles being with the clients, the visible face of the place. When it's time to open, I always try to have two or three varieties ready, maybe the dehydrated tomato, goat cheese, onion, and Iberian ham skewer, which is quicker to make.
The nice thing about the place is that you walk in and I'm always preparing things in front of the customers. There are also tapas that are made when the customer orders them. For example, the toast with smoked salmon, asparagus, and shrimp. We gratinate it in the oven with mayonnaise and it's served immediately.
- What cuisine influences you the most when you work?
Morales: I improvise. I really like it. I live for cooking. I disconnect. Some people tell me, "I don't know how you can spend so many hours, what a job, I see you and it looks like you're having a bad time," but inside I'm fine, I'm super focused, but I'm having a good time. I love it.
- Do you have the number of skewers you make per day calculated?
Morales: Many. I don't count them, but 500 or 600 a day. * **What is it like working as a family?**
Morales: We tell each other the truth. If there's a misunderstanding, he says it or vice versa, "Hey, this can't be like this," and that's it. When we leave work, we give each other a hug, have a beer, and that's it.