Carlos Drouet Vera
Chef-owner of La Toquilla, a coastal Ecuadorian restaurant in Madrid, and a former telecommunications engineer.
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Carlos Drouet Vera, born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, is the chef-owner of La Toquilla, a coastal Ecuadorian restaurant he opened in Madrid's San Isidro area in 2016. A former telecommunications engineer, he changed careers after moving to Madrid to open what he calls an embassy of Ecuadorian flavour in the city. La Toquilla holds a Solete from the Guía Repsol, and Ecuador's National Assembly gave Drouet Vera its Vicente Rocafuerte decoration for his work promoting Ecuadorian culture abroad.
Biography
Early years
Carlos Drouet Vera is from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and originally trained and worked as a telecommunications engineer.
Career
After moving to Madrid, he changed careers to open La Toquilla in 2016, which he describes as an embassy of Ecuadorian flavour in the city. The restaurant holds a Solete from the Guía Repsol, part of the guide's 2022 'Soletes de barrio' recognitions for neighbourhood restaurants away from city centres. Ecuador's National Assembly awarded Drouet Vera its 'Vicente Rocafuerte' decoration on International Migrants Day, for his cultural and social merits and for promoting Ecuador's image abroad.
Philosophy
His cooking centres on coastal Ecuadorian cuisine built around seafood, with dishes such as encebollado, fritada, hornado and bandera.
Restaurants
Accolades
- ·Solete, Guía Repsol (2022)
- ·'Vicente Rocafuerte' Decoration, National Assembly of Ecuador
Frequently asked
Who is the chef at La Toquilla?
Carlos Drouet Vera, a Guayaquil-born former telecommunications engineer, is the chef-owner of La Toquilla in Madrid.
What cuisine does La Toquilla serve?
Coastal Ecuadorian cuisine, with dishes such as encebollado, fritada, hornado and bandera.
Where is La Toquilla located?
In the San Isidro area of Madrid's Carabanchel district.
Where is Carlos Drouet Vera from?
He's from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and worked as a telecommunications engineer before moving to Madrid and opening La Toquilla.
Has La Toquilla won any awards?
It holds a Solete from the Guía Repsol, and Ecuador's National Assembly gave Carlos Drouet Vera its Vicente Rocafuerte decoration for promoting Ecuadorian culture abroad.
When did La Toquilla open?
In 2016, with the aim of changing how Madrid sees Ecuadorian cooking.