Food van ‘Paella Fiesta’ opens at Yeppoon with authentic Spanish recipe

Capricorn Coast diners are now treated to an authentic Spanish family recipe that spanned three generations, with customers lining the streets for their seafood, meat, vegan and gluten-free dishes that are selling out within minutes.

Mark Tutor, Esti Rey and Willow converted an old caravan into a food van for their new business on the Capricorn Coast, Paella Fiesta.

A new paella food van is bringing the tastes of Spain to the Capricorn Coast – and it’s already proving to be a smash hit.

Hungry diners have been lining the street for a taste, with paella selling out within an hour.

Esti Rey and Mark Tutor moved to the Capricorn Coast two years ago and both have a Spanish background.

Esti grew up in Spain while Mark grew up in Australia with Spanish parents.

Paella is known as the national food of Spain and is a classic dish made with rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken and seafood cooked and served in one pan.

“Paella is very standard in Spain … they are on every corner,” Mark said.

The couple were already always cooking paella together and the idea to start the business came about as they were looking for new work for Esti after she couldn’t return to her old job after beating cancer.

The couple bought a caravan and retrofitted it into a food van with marquee, portable gas cookers and massive paella pans.

“My parents used to do this as a business growing up and now we’re just sort of taking over the family business,” Mark said.

“We’re bringing our culture here,” Esti said.

Mark Tutor, Willow and Esti Rey at their new Paella Fiesta van.

The Paella Fiesta is parked up in the front yard of Bad Co Clothing, on Tanby Road on Friday nights.

They also offer custom orders during the week, with a minimum order amount required.

“We’ve been sold out every night in an hour. The line up has been to the road,” Mark said.

Their secret to success is just “really good food”.

The recipe they use is Mark’s grandmother’s recipe.

“It’s just a traditional recipe from how it’s always been, we’re not cutting any corners,” Mark said.

In the future, they would like to do more catering for events and weddings.

“Which would be a challenge because it would be cooking in front of the people,” Esti said.

PAELLA FIESTA

Food van open on Friday nights at Bad Co Clothing, 70 Tanby Road, Yeppoon, from 6.30pm

Authentic Spanish family recipe paella

Paella made to order

Paella options include meat, seafood, vegan and gluten-free

Order during the week on Facebook, Instagram or phone [phone]

Events and private parties available