Daniel Serra
Famous for his acclaimed restaurant Can Dani, which won Formentera’s first and only Michelin star in 2014, Daniel Serra is returning to the food world this year with Casa Paya Electrodomésticos. This new restaurant in the heart of San Francisco offers diners a unique experience that combines food and music with friendly service and a space that is happy for diners to unhurriedly stretch out meals around the table. Daniel Serra and chef Javier Álvarez Lema are the enthusiastic team in charge of this innovative idea that pays tribute to fantastic produce, with a flagship tasting menu that promises to make a big impression.
How did this new project come about?
The project happened because I really fancied setting up a restaurant again. I’ve spent four very happy years selling tapas, but I felt like it was time to come back. And I was lucky that Pepe Paya had this project... I shared my vision for the project with him, and he said yes.
What will we find at Casa Paya Electrodomésticos?
I’m kind of an obsessive guy. So, my big obsession was creating a space where I would have fun. A space where you eat great food and feel really relaxed. It’s a bit of a cliché, but it really mattered to me.
How would you describe the food at Casa Paya Electrodomésticos?
It’s totally product-orientated food. That’s what’s most important to me. And, of course, if Javier Álvarez Lema, the chef in charge of Casa Paya, hadn’t come I don’t think I’d have launched the project. Javi was with me at Casa Dani five years ago and it was absolutely essential for me that he ran the kitchen. He’s a spectacular chef. He’s what I needed for this project, just like I needed a remarkable maître, Jessica Pietrarelli, who has worked at Can Carlos for five years. They were two hugely important pieces of the puzzle for me because, obviously, I knew that launching a new restaurant would raise people’s expectations and generate a certain pressure.
Where does the name Casa Paya Electrodomésticos come from?
The property where we’ve opened the restaurant was the first household electrical appliance shop in Formentera. Everyone in Formentera remembers going to Casa Paya Electrodomésticos to buy their TV, first videos... By keeping the name, I wanted to pay a little tribute to the founders, I think you should always remember the earlier generations.
What will Casa Paya Electrodomésticos have in common with Can Dani?
I was slightly worried at first, because Can Dani is always a bit of a burden, and everyone thought that I’d go in the same direction as Can Dani. But this is going to be different. I want to avoid labels from the start. At the moment, Casa Paya Electrodomésticos isn’t a Can Dani. What will come, will come. Casa Paya Electrodomésticos will be a great restaurant, but it won’t be a Can Dani.
Will we find local products at Casa Paya Electrodomésticos?
We’ll try to use local products at Casa Paya as much as we can. Javi goes to Agromartí every day to see what they have. But we don’t want to be obsessive, like we were at Can Dani, because looking back that was madness. It's really tough. Out of season it all seems lovely, but what’s really hard is having reliable products in high season.
How has Formentera changed in the past ten years, in terms of food?
Formentera is really fantastic in terms of food. People have totally pulled their socks up. Chefs like Nandu Jubany, Carles Abellán and other really famous chefs from the mainland have come here and that’s been really good for the island, regardless of the criticism it gets in some circles (I think it’s jealousy more than anything else...) We’ve got some really interesting restaurants in Formentera. The whole competition thing doesn’t make sense to me. Actually, I think it’s a positive thing. I’ve been copied my whole life, and I’ve never complained. Quite the opposite: I’ve just tried to do things better. On the downside, Formentera is becoming an expensive island. But now that we’ve set up a restaurant here from scratch... Everything is really expensive here and so, logically, prices have to reflect that.
How do you see the future of Formentera?
I’m an optimistic person. I always see good things in the future.... Formentera isn’t just an island anymore: it’s a brand and I think people want to come to Formentera.
Is the tourism model of the Formentera we all once knew now changing?
Everything evolves. I’ve been on this island for 32 years and things have veered from one thing to another. And some periods make more sense than others...
