Barcelona Tapas - Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta

The Restaurant

• Fact Sheet
• History
• Philosophy
• Bios

Bios

William Carballo

William Carballo, chef owner of Barcelona Tapas and Agave Grill Restaurants, both centrally located in Puerto Valllarta, Mexico, was born in 1966 in Chicago, Illinois, to a Cuban immigrant father and an Irish American mother.

He started work at the age of 13, making ice cream at the Plush Horse Ice Cream Parlor (www.theplushhorse.com) located in Palos Park, Illinois a south west suburb of Chicago. Working everyday after school, William became a workaholic at this young age. At 16, he began to work at a country club on weekends, washing dishes and helping with food preparation for weddings every Saturday.

The next year, as a senior at Marist High School, William was asked to leave the school due to a fight with a teacher. Soon after, he left his family home and was on his own, working the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at a 24-hour breakfast place called the Golden Bear Restaurant. Being an independent minor, working full time and living on his own, he gradu ated from Carl Sandberg Public School - with Honors. Having studied Spanish and with a deep interest in Spanish cuisine, William decided to study abroad. Arriving in Seville, Spain, as a foreign language student in 1986, William began to work the next day at a local tapas bar called “El Camino Del Rocio”. Returning to the United States two years, he met Chef Emilio Gervilla and shortly after began to work on the opening of Emilio’s very first restaurant (www.emiliostapas.com).

From 1988 to 1994, William worked for Emilio, Gilbert Robinson Restaurant Corporation, Café Iberico Tapas (www.cafeiberico.com) and graduated from Loras College (www.loras.edu) with a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a Major in Spanish Studies. In 1994, he married his wife Yesenia, a native of Puerto Vallarta. He began traveling to Puerto Vallarta for family holidays. Shortly after getting married, William changed jobs and became a Marketing Associate in the largest foodservice distributor - Sysco Foods Service (www.sysco.com). After a few years of training, William was named Sales Marketing Associate of the Year. Deciding to open the Barcelona Tapas in Puerto Vallarta, he offered his resignation – which was not taken seriously at first.

In August 2000, William and Yesenia with their two sons, Juan Carlos and Antonio. With Yesenia’s great physical and moral support, William converted the roof of their home, and together they opened the Barcelona Tapas Restaurant which consisted of 56 seats, 14 tables, one 6-burner stove, a small refrigerator and one freezer. William and Yesenia worked day and night, living at the restaurant they started with 2 employees, and serving only 10-25 guests per day. The same year Barcelona Tapas opened, the attack of 9/11 occurred. They never gave up hope, even though some days went by without any customers at all. Today, Barcelona is one of the most respected dining establishments in Puerto Vallarta. It serves over 40,000 guests per year, the food, service and installations are constantly improving ...and it is nearly always full!