It’s been quite a week for Sevilla Tapas! First I got a glowing Trip Advisor review from Tara and Christian, who’d been on my Christmas Day tour, and then a new website called Andalucia Direct surprised me by giving me a free listing.

And today the interview I did this past weekend with Rosana Domínguez (aka Holly Cocina) for I Love Tapas went live!

I’ve been given permission to post an English translation here, which you can read below. You can see the original Spanish version here:

Entrevista a Shawn Hennessey y sus tours de tapas Sevilla Tapas

Shawn Hennessey, compulsive blogger, Twitter addict (with 4 accounts) and long-time Foodie, is originally from Canada but never felt like she truly belonged there and so moved to Spain (via Bristol England) in 1992, where she finally found her home. After a year in Salamanca she moved south to Sevilla and in April 2007 started the Sevilla Tapas blog. According to Shawn it all happened by accident while she was out for lunch with a friend on a lovely spring afternoon and it occured to her to take some photos not of just the square and the orange trees, but also of the food, which were then posted on her personal blog, casa az. The response was so positive that she started publishing regular “tapas posts”, which eventually led to a separate website for Sevilla Tapas. Aside from running several blogs, Shawn also writes for travel sites such as Slow Europe, Travel Intelligence and National Geographic, and has recently become the Seville Expert for Simonseeks.

Presently Shawn is working on several projects including her very popular tapas tours, working with local restaurants managing their social media, and organising special Restaurant & Hotel English courses.

Where did you passion for tapas come from?

I’ve always been a bit of a “natural cook” and have loved to experiment with trying out new dishes at home, so I was probably a foodie long before it became fashionable. When I first came to Spain I spent a year in Salamanca and discovered the delights of pinchos and tapas. Aside from the food itself, I loved that a meal could consist of several perfect little “tastes”, which for me was much more interesting and satisfying than just having one main dish. After I started Sevilla Tapas and Viva Las Tapas (for when I’m out of town) I have to admit that finding the best of both traditional and innovative tapas – and sharing that knowledge – has become a bit of an obsession.

How did you come up with the idea to offer tapas tours to foreigners? Could you explain briefly what the tours consist of?

I’d been giving casual tapas tours to visiting friends for years and so a couple of years ago when I began to expand my tapas blog to include a website and blog about Seville, it seemed a natural progression to make the tours available to my readers. I offer a selection of different tours, though the most popular is the one for 2-4 people which takes us to three tapas bars over three hours. I check with my clients beforehand about their preferences, but usually they are happy with a mix of traditional and modern tapas bars. I don’t have a set route because I like to create each tour based on what my clients ask for, and I also want them to have the most authentic tapas experience possible.

What is your typical customer profile?

Not surprisingly they are mainly Foodies, many of whom actually arrange their trips around where they want to eat, though most of them have never tried tapas before. I’d say they tend to be well-travelled, cultured and knowledgable about the places they visit, having done quite a lot of research beforehand. They definitely see food as a cultural experience, not just a culinary one.

Which tapas are most popular among the people who take your tours?

Jamón Ibérico, mature cheeses and garlicky olives are favourite starters. It’s always a treat to watch someone’s response tasting something as wonderful as jamón for the first time. People also enjoy fritos and trying unusual things such as carrillada and pringá.

In your experience, what most surprises foreigners about our tapas culture?

I think they all come here knowing about things like the later eating hours and at least what kind of foods are available. But the thing that delights them the most is how social a “tapeo” is, and the general hustle and bustle in the bars. They also love the idea of sharing their dishes and being able to sample a wide variety of tapas over the evening. For them it’s rather like a casual – and often moveable – tasting menu.

Have you noticed any change in the overview of tapas in Seville since you started your business?

In the past five years there has been a definite increase in the number of new bars offering “designer tapas”, as well as established restaurants either increasing their tapas area or offering tapas for the first time. I’ve also noticed more attention paid to things being “market fresh” or locally produced.

At home do you cook Spanish or International?

A bit of everything, perhaps with a tendency towards more international dishes as I can’t find these when I go out. I also rarely do “fritos” at home as I prefer to leave that preparation and clean up for the tapas bars (though I did recently learn the secret of using harina para freír), but I make a killer curry and fabulous risottos.

Finally, we’d like to know you a little better:

• Your favourite tapa? Impossible to choose just one! Some favourites are grilled presa or solomillo, spinach with garbanzos, stewed pig’s cheeks and fried salt cod.
• Wine or beer? Wine, or in summer a very cold beer, preferably not Cruzcampo (they’re going to kill me for saying that, right?)
• Gazpacho or salmorejo? Salmorejo, made with beets
• Cheese or ham? Jamón Ibérico, and after a nice mature cheese, very mature.
• Boquerones or banderillas? Boquerones.
• Patatas bravas o ali oli? Bravas, especially when they are “extra brava” and spicy.
• Calamares a la romana or pulpo a la gallega? How difficult! Depends on the day.
• Coffee or dessert? Coffee. When you see desserts on Sevilla Tapas they’ve usually been ordered by a friend as I don’t have a sweet tooth.