Chef Javier Dalzell

Tete and Quico, Javier’s grandparents, were first generation Spanish immigrants to Mexico City. Theirs is a classic immigration story of starting anew in a country with only their clothes and money on hand; and in Tete’s case, her Spanish family recipes remembered by heart. These have been passed on in the family, but it was Javier who took interest in taking his family’s paella beyond the family kitchen.

Prior to moving to the US, Javier and Mariana worked on an ecological resort where they collaborated in the planning and delivery of different events.

In 2001 we moved to the US and while working on other projects, we started doing Paella events. These events were mostly auctioned by non-profit organizations but also friends and some companies started to hire us to do these events.

In 2014, our family took a leap of faith and began construction of Sur 16, a restaurant on Capitol Hill. We served “South of the border” cuisine and cocktails (and paella of course). We learned so much from this experience and built a community of locals who are as passionate about food as we are. We enjoyed the company of local dancers from the downstairs studio, musicians, artists, people who had been Seattlelites their whole lives to people visiting town.

Our fondest childhood memories are hosting family and friends around the kitchen, pairing food with laughter and conversation. When we started our own family and immigrated to the Pacific Northwest, we carried on this tradition and brought our Spanish and Latin American roots with us.

Driven by our passion for food, culture, and good company, we founded Los Azulejos Kitchen to share our family recipes with a modern twist and provide and amazing experience, not only for your event but also for your meal prep.