Category Archives: tapas

we love tapas team training

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in restaurants, sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas tours, we love tapas, wine, work

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wlt trainingI have to say that loving my job has taken on a whole other dimension since I began We Love Tapas last year. Which is that I now get to love other people’s jobs as well! This week I took Team Sevilla out on a couple of training sessions so they could also start doing our fabulous Oldest Taverns Tour. Previously only Peter was doing this tour, but it made sense to have more guide options, especially as it’s becoming very popular. As always, the owners and staff at our bars were keen to make us feel at home, and also to spend time telling the team all kinds of anecdotes along with the history of each bar. I mean, I could do that! But it’s even better when the team gets to hear all this from the people who have lived that history (or at least some of it). And each time I learn something new as well. Best job in the world. And best team ever!  🙂

ginger gourmand

29 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in food & drink, friends, tapas, tapas tours, twitter

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ginger gourmandLast week while Anna @annalibera was here I also had a long-awaited visit from Naomi @gingergourmand and her husband Andrew @andrewknill. Naomi and I have been Twitter pals for years, so I was very excited when I found out they were coming to Sevilla to celebrate Andrew’s birthday. The night they arrived Anna and I crashed their first meal at Eslava and then we dragged them over to La Pepona because, well, Anna ALWAYS has to go to La Pepona. It’s a beard thing ;). Next day I met up with Naomi & Andrew in the evening for a spontaneous “gourmet tapas tour”, which took us to a few of my fave places. Usually I like to mix things up a bit, but that night we ended up at favourite traditional bars since N & A had already visited a few trendier places. It was lovely.

The cool thing about all the Twitter pals I’ve met over the years is that not only do we have a love of travel, food & wine in common, but usually we’ve been in touch for ages, and know a lot of the same people (either virtually or in person). So when we do finally get to meet up it’s like we’ve known each other for ages. Especially because ALL of us post photos of what we’ve had for lunch. 😛

relationships

18 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by in friends, sevilla, spam, tapas, tapas tours, work

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relationships

Since launching We Love Tapas I’ve been thinking a lot about the relationships I’ve built over the years with the owners of my favourite bars in Sevilla. My connections with these people goes way back, long before I started doing my own food tours about six years ago. So it’s not just “business related”. Actually, it’s not based on business at all. We all just like and respect each other. So when I started my Sevilla Tapas blog back in 2007 they were keen to be a part of it, and when I began doing tours they were all very supportive.

With We Love Tapas I’ve been very fortunate, with everyone welcoming my fabulous Team just like they are an extension of me, and showing them every courtesy. You have to understand that these people don’t need my business. They are all very successful, with packed bars and regular clientelle. So it’s not like I’m doing them any favours by bringing my tours to their bars. Turns out that they end up doing me favours, by holding tables for me and making sure my people get top service, sometimes with a few perks thrown in. Blows me away. Especially as they are constantly being pestered by new food tour companies showing up and wanting deals. I don’t ask for deals. But they help me out and every now and then I’m asked a favour, and of course I’m always happy to help. Because we’re friends. It’s a wonderful working environment… stopping in to visit your friends all the time. I love my job. 🙂

flavours of spain

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by in birthdays, food & drink, friends, tapas, twitter

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flavours of spain
I first met Ana & Teresa of @FlavoursofSpain a year ago when they were doing food & wine research near Sevilla. They really only had a few hours here before catching their plane home to the UK, but that was time enough to meet up for a nice lunch at La Azotea.

This week they are back – on holiday this time – to celebrate Teresa’s sister’s 30th birthday and I was delighted to be invited along to be a part of the festivities. We did an impromptu two-stop tapeo, going first to La Pepona and then finishing the evening at Eslava. As you can see, we ate very well (and this wasn’t even all of it!) including finishing off with Eslava’s amazing MANCHEGO ICECREAM. Wow. But Sixto had a special treat up his sleeve, and came out a bit later with a lovely creamy cake and candle.

As you can see, a wonderful time was had by all, and I hope I’ve convinced the girls that they need to come down to Sevilla more often.

ta bs: trip advisor bullshit

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by in tapas, tapas tours, travel, twitter

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ta bsWhat the fucking fuck! This is my first ever troll review on Trip Advisor. Hell, it’s not even a review, it’s just someone saying that people should use other resources to find good places to eat. And I don’t know this person – they were certainly never my client. I wonder what the hell is going on with all this recent TA BS. Anyhow, I have written to TA and hope they’ll remove this bogus posting.

Meanwhile, I am loving my own tours and We Love Tapas is growing all the time… no need to buy google ads or have friends post fake TA reviews. We’ll be fine growing organically, just as I have always done with Sevilla Tapas. I have a great team, we have big hearts and are full of passion for what we are doing. But TA is the beast that must always be fed… can’t deny it’s been good for me, but there is also a lot of crap going on there. Sometimes the BEST restaurant in Sevilla is a take-away pizza joint, or an icecream shop. Whatever. I just don’t know why someone would post this particular bullshit.