Tony Eiguren and his wife “fell into” owning the Basque Market 19 years ago, and their twice-weekly paella cooks on the market patio have become a mainstay in Boise. With Jaialdi starting tomorrow, the Basque Market will be front and center.
Your paella operation has become iconic to Boise — do you see your work as cultural preservation?
A big goal of ours is to keep the culture alive and to pass it along just like it was passed to me … I don’t know that I feel like I’m a cultural icon or the market is. I’m hoping we’re another cog in the wheel of keeping the whole group together between the market and the [Basque] Museum and the Basque Center and all of these entities. On our own, we’re only so big.
What have you learned about the art and ritual of street cooking?
People come up and want to ask questions, or they want to compare … and so I feel like talking is an easy way to break the ice and get everyone talking and on the same page. Instantly, you’re part of the community and you’re sitting next to someone you don’t know and then you’ve got a new friend.
What does Jaialdi mean to you, both as a local kid who grew up dancing on the block and as a visible ambassador today?
Jaialdi is a great way to get together … Of course as we’re getting older, we all have lives and don’t talk to each other as often as we want or maybe should, and this is a great way to reconnect even if it’s just for one day. It also means teaching and keeping your culture alive with people that are not familiar with it.
