I am grateful for my friendship with Penelope Casas, who was a friend to our family for nearly twenty years. I am especially thankful for the wisdom and gentle encouragement she provided during the formative years of La Tienda. Penny died recently after a seven year struggle with leukemia and I will miss hearing her friendly voice on the phone.
Penny was a groundbreaking cookbook author who introduced millions of Americans to the traditional foods of Spain. Over the years, Penny took time to personally reply to the questions of hundreds of Spanish cooking enthusiasts through her open-ended feature 'Ask Penelope' on LaTienda.com.
I find it fascinating how the paths of our lives intersect with like-minded people over the years. Most of the time we pay no mind, but now and then we recognize that our interests are in harmony with those of another and it is these unanticipated patterns that make life rich and meaningful. Such is the case of our two families and our shared love for Spain.
I came upon Spain quite by accident. In 1964, Ruth and I were married in Long Beach, California - but just three months later the Navy sent me on my first Mediterranean cruise as a newly commissioned naval officer. I was a chaplain to the officers and men of a destroyer division, ministering to about 1,000 sailors aboard four ships. Our first two ports of call were Mallorca and Valencia, and from my first steps ashore I felt an uncanny affinity for the Spanish people. The subsequent hours and days I spent on liberty strolling the pier side streets confirmed that I had found a spiritual home.
I suspect Penny had a similar experience when she arrived in Madrid three years before then. As a young college student she traveled to Spain as part of Vassar College’s 'junior year abroad' program and immediately fell in love with the Spanish people - and not only Spaniards in general, but also a handsome young medical student from Madrid named Luís.
One thing led to another – Penny returned to Madrid the next year and her romance with Spain (and Luís) continued to flourish. There were some frustrating moments for the young lovers, because in the interim Luís was called to serve as a medic at the Spanish army hospital in Melilla, a Spanish enclave off the Coast of Morocco. But, of course, true love always wins out.
They married the following year in Madrid and spent three happy and rewarding years living in Spain before moving to New York City, where Luís completed his medical residency in urology, and Penny began to write. She took every opportunity to spread the word about the unique cuisine and culture of her new-found Spain. At that time Americans had virtually no awareness of Spain, especially since the country had been politically isolated after the Spanish Civil War and World War II.
Penelope was on the vanguard, and I am convinced that it was in part because of her writing and advocacy in American publishing circles that Spain today is acknowledged as a premier resource for gastronomy. Her very first cookbook, The Foods and Wines of Spain, has become a classic – and is in its twelfth printing. Her definitive book, ¡Paella!, encouraged millions of Americans to undertake what is now one of America’s most popular dishes. My wife Ruth used Penny’s book to prepare four paellas for our son Jonathan and Stacey’s wedding rehearsal dinner! Spanish food and culture was her life’s work: in fact, just a few days before her final hospitalization, Penny sent the galley proofs of her magnum opus to her publisher: a book of a thousand of her favorite recipes.
Penny and Luís lived a happy marriage of 49 years (we were married in 1964, too!) and spent much of their time together revisiting their beloved Spain. They were a perfect complement, she with her innate curiosity and consuming interest in the foods and wines of Spain, he with his native knowledge of the culture of his motherland.
As Penny’s reputation grew, through her appealing and authoritative cookbooks, and informative articles in The New York Times and other major publications, she was invited by NYU to teach a course on Spanish cuisine and to lead gourmet culinary tours throughout Spain. This in turn led to their own intimate tours, personally arranged by her and Luís, which were enthusiastically embraced. The participants formed an informal community of aficionados of Spain, with many couples returning year after year. Out of these experiences Penny wrote Discovering Spain, an absorbing narrative of their many delicious and fascinating forays. And this is where our two stories intersected in a meaningful way.
Although my first introduction to Spain was visiting a port, I resolved to share my enthusiasm with my wife by exploring the highways and byways of this magical country. A few months later, Ruth and I set off on our own in a tiny Seat 600 rental car and only a smattering of a Castilian vocabulary. Each year we explored a little further, and now it is over forty years later! It would have been a lot easier if Ruth were a native Spaniard, an advantage Penny enjoyed with Luís – but then again, with Discovering Spain in hand we were guided by Penny’s descriptions of her trips and adventures.
Regrettably, New York and Virginia are hundreds of miles apart, so the chance to sit down for a meal together has been limited. Nevertheless, I treasure one time when my son Tim and I shared a meal with Penny and Luís at La Nacionál in the Chelsea area of West Village. Part of the unassuming building is a social club founded in 1902 to serve the flood of immigrants coming from Spain. We could see old timers talking over coffee and beer while watching the futbol games on TV, while others were in a corner playing dominoes. Our destination was downstairs to La Nacionál, a simple restaurant where we spent the evening enjoying honest, unpretentious Spanish fare. It felt as if we had been transported back to Spain.
In a way Penelope Casas has been our spiritual companion and mentor since the beginning of La Tienda. I hope that we can continue the course she has set: to share with you the depth of the Spanish culture; the strong family based roots; and the simple yet wonderful foods which Spain offers for our tables. What an inspiration she has been! ¡Muchas gracias, Penélope!
¡Muchas Gracias, Penelope!
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Spain Celebrates Victory Together
Americans have experienced some epic sporting victories over the years, from the “Miracle on Ice” hockey victory over Russia in 1980 to the Dream Team basketball victory in 1992 and the historic Women’s World Cup victory in 1999. And American fans celebrated with parades and parties. But those celebrations pale in comparison to the gatherings in Spain after the 2026 world soccer victory!
In Madrid alone, over 2 million ecstatic fans filled the streets, giving a hero’s welcome to the returning champions. We were astonished to see videos of a vast sea of fans at La Plaza de Cibeles, singing together in one voice, faces glowing with the joy of victory. In a country that often experiences regional tensions, it was incredible to see the entire population coming together with national pride.
Fútbol (soccer) is bordering on a national religion in Spain, with teams participating in intense rivalries between clubs. Some matches are so legendary they even have names, like El Clásico or El Derby. But when the national team played in the big tournament, these rivalries disappeared. On the national team, members of the legendary clubs of La Liga, like FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, played side by side.
We talked with a friend in Valencia who told us the streets were empty during the matches, as families and friends gathered in bars and homes to cheer on La Roja. The crowds shouted in unified passion, bonding with strangers as they celebrated goals or commiserated about bad calls.
We were able to experience some of Spain’s communal joy with a watch party that we organized at the Virginia Beer Company in our hometown of Williamsburg, VA. We shared a free spread of simple tapas with the crowd, from Marcona almonds and picos breadsticks to anchovy stuffed olives and quicos crunchy corn. We even hand-sliced a Jamón Ibérico, with hungry fans devouring the ham faster than we could slice.
The crowd grew to over a hundred people, and we were excited to see a group of a dozen Spanish fans leading the cheers. They were young adults working at Busch Gardens for the summer, and their enthusiasm was infectious. They even inspired the Williamsburg locals to sing “¡OLÉ, OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ!” at full volume. The excellent glasses of beer did not hurt the enthusiasm!
As the final whistle blew in overtime, the entire crowd exploded, led by the Spanish fans. They waved huge red and yellow flags, sang victory songs and literally jumped for joy as a group! One guy ran over and grabbed what was left of the jamón, holding it high in the air like it was a religious icon, then kissed it to celebrate the victory. Another fan grabbed a porrón pitcher that we’d brought and poured a long stream of beer in his mouth. For a moment, it felt like we were at a bar in Madrid or Sevilla, sharing the thrill of victory with the people of Spain.
In life, stereotypes are sometimes positive and real. Spaniards do love jamón with an intensity bordering on obsession. They do come together and connect, creating community wherever they are. It was thrilling to share their passion and excitement; it was an event that we’ll always remember.
¡Hola! I'm Jonathan Harris, one of the owners of La Tienda. I love sharing insights about Spain's amazing food culture. Learn more >
30th Anniversary Spotlight: "Don Don" and His Love of Spain
Our father Don Harris was affectionately called "Don Don" (Mr. Don) by some of our Spanish friends. Such a familiar honorific was so perfect for dad, a man who created so many warm personal bonds with his Spanish friends that he naturally earned their love and respect.
From the day we founded La Tienda 30 years ago, Don valued relationships above all else, more than great food or business success. He was energized by the strong connection he created with our Spanish partners, from Abel Rodriguez, the Cordoban purveyor of Ibérico ham, to Carmen Gutiérrez-Colosía, a generous and welcoming sherry wine maker.
Don loved Spain for its sense of community, a culture where family, and especially children, are treasured. He was by no means a gourmand, preferring simpler pleasures: a great loaf of bread, a slice of tortilla de patatas, and his favorite, a plate of piping hot croquetas de jamón. Don passed peacefully in 2024, but his legacy of welcoming and connection lives on through La Tienda.
Here are a few of Don's very favorite foods from Spain, I hope you enjoy them too!
Jonathan - La Tienda
What Are Real Spanish Tapas?
America is in love with tapas. Or at least the word tapas is used at all kinds of restaurants across the country. In the U.S., this usually means sharing a variety of small plates with fellow diners around a restaurant table so everyone gets to try each dish. While I personally love dining this way, it can be pretty far from the true Spanish tapas tradition.
First of all, tapas are by definition always Spanish food. There is no such thing as Asian or Mexican tapas, just as there is no Spanish sushi or burritos. The world has other great small plates traditions, from Middle Eastern mezze to Chinese dim sum and Italian aperitivo. There's no reason to use the word tapas for these other admittedly delicious styles of eating. Plus, Spain has a wealth of delectable foods, from Galician seafood to Andalucian jamón, and there's no need to add flavors from far afield.
Secondly, tapas is just as much an activity as an eating style. Barcelona and Madrid have streets lined with dozens of tapas bars, each specializing in a particular tapa. My friends and I love stopping by a tapas bar, ordering a drink and enjoying their signature tapa while standing around a tall table. We could order grilled mushrooms topped with shrimp and a small beer in one place, then a pincho moruno pork skewer and a cup of wine in the next, never staying longer than fifteen or twenty minutes at each location. All the while, each of the bars is filled with patrons talking, sharing stories and enjoying each other's company.
This casual camaraderie and connection over tasty bites of food is the third signature of Spanish tapas. Unlike a restaurant meal, a tapas crawl is full of surprises, unexpected flavors and impromptu conversations with friends and strangers along the way. An evening of tapas has a loose informality that encourages new discoveries and shared experiences.
So, enjoy that "tapa" of a Thai spring roll or an Angus slider at a U.S. restaurant. But remember that true Spanish tapas is a whole experience, a time of camaraderie and adventure while enjoying delicious bites of Spain's incredible foods at each stop along the way.
¡Hola! I'm Jonathan Harris, one of the owners of La Tienda. I love sharing insights about Spain's amazing food culture. Learn more >
27 Comments
I married my American wife, whom I met during her Junior Year Abroad in Spain, in 1975. We moved to the US, and all was good except that I missed my country’s, my mother’s cooking. Then Penelope’s first book came out, and all was fine again with our lives. Whenever I got a yearning for some Spanish food I’d open her book, and there it was: the recipe for what I wanted, clear, well written, obviously well tested, with suggestions for substitutes for hard-to-find ingredients. Never once was I disappointed. I wonder if she knows, if any cookbook author can imagine, that their work can bring such joy to other people’s lives. I hope she does.
Estoy muy apenada por la muerte de Penelope, ella fue casi mi maestra para aprender tantas y tantas recetas de Espana. A pesar de ser espanola, cuando vine a Estados Unidos no sabia mucho de cocina. Sus recetas y introducion a ellas son faciles de seguir y siempre salen bien. Tengo casi todos sus libros.Muchas gracias Penelope por hacerme una autentica cocinera espanola. Te eschare de menos.
She will be missed, I love her book, The Foods and Wines of Spain. She has been my guide in cooking Spanish food for so many years. May she rest in peace.
Maravilloso escrito sobre Penelope Casas y su gran pasion por Espana y su gastronomia. Tengo el primer libro que Penelope escribio y siempre me ha sido una gran ayuda cuando he intentado hacer algun plato clasico de otras regiones espanolas. Siento mucho el fallecimiento de una persona que incontables veces al leer o preparar sus recetas mentalmente me volvia a mi querida Espana. Clara
Response:
Muchas gracias, Clara.
Lovely evocation. Thanks so much. A tiny and pedantic correction from a guy who thinks too much about these things: La Nacional was founded in 1868, though it didn’t move into the building at 239 West 14th Street until the 1920s, I suspect.
Response:
Hola Jaime,
How nice to hear from you again. We visited the other Jim in Cangas de Onís again in March. Thanks for the correction. Is there an interesting account of La Nacional? It sounds as if it would be a fascinating account.