Tapas Bar & Spanish Restaurant

WHO WE ARE

Chef Marc Vidal fell in love with cooking at the age of nine when his mom put him to work at Bar Roca, the family restaurant in Barcelona where his grandmother ran the kitchen. The menu changed daily, but the simplicity and attention to quality ingredients was a constant in every dish, from a simple green salad to the Thursday paella that locals would line up for in front of the restaurant’s tiny façade. As his grandmother gave him more responsibility, washing dishes turned into pulling espresso and prepping bread pudding. Eventually, Marc was learning each traditional family recipe and the stories behind the food of his culture. These deep personal roots inspired him to enroll in culinary school at age sixteen, where he was the youngest in his class.

In the years after graduation, Marc expanded his Spanish culinary knowledge by working with some of the world’s leading Spanish chefs including Chef Ferran Adrià at the famed El Bulli, Chef Alain Passard at the three Michelin star restaurant L’Arpege, and Chef Alain Ducasse in Paris, among others.

Invigorated by the prospect of building a menu of Catalan classics for a fresh audience, Marc ultimately moved to the U.S. where he was given the opportunity to open Solea in the W South Beach, earning the restaurant a James Beard Foundation semi-finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant. During a trip New York City, Chef Marc first visited Boqueria and it struck him immediately. From the music to the lighting and energy of the chefs in the open kitchens, he felt he had finally found a restaurant in the States that captured the energy of Barcelona’s tapas bars. For the past eight years, Marc has brought his wealth of experience, culinary talent and passion for the cuisine of his homeland to the kitchen and menus at Boqueria.

Born and raised in France, Yann’s earliest memories of Spain are of his childhood summers spent with his family shopping in Barcelona’s local food markets. Ultimately drawn to the country’s warmth and spirit of hospitality, Yann returned to Spain as a student, where he expanded both his palate and passion for Spanish food culture; frequenting every tapas bar he could find (or afford!). He was entranced by the energy of these tapas bars—the informality of sampling deceptively simple yet memorable dishes, and staying or leaving whenever the spirit moved him. Eating like this was fun in a way that a “regular” meal never was.

Years of working as a Marketing Executive for global brands including Perrier, L’Oréal and Allied Domecq nursed a longstanding ambition to become an entrepreneur himself – to create a company and a culture that he could be proud of. He would often meet up with friends after work, and together they would envision opening up their own restaurant; the kind of place that they would want to frequent in the city. He had never come across a space in NYC that could match the casual yet buzzing atmosphere and convivial style of eating that he had experienced in tapas bars during his time in Spain. Realizing the opportunity to create something significant – Yann embraced his entrepreneurial spirit, love affair with Spain, and passion for design in 2006, when he opened Boqueria’s flagship restaurant in NYC’s Flatiron neighborhood.

Twelve years later, Boqueria has become a New York City and Washington, D.C. institution. Born from a love of connecting people over incredible Spanish tapas in a modern, lively atmosphere – Boqueria has created a culture that brings people together. It is a place where you can bring anyone, any group, any time.