Alex Raij and Eder Montero are the husband and wife team behind Txikito, Chelsea’s acclaimed Basque restaurant; El Quinto Pino, named the Absolute Best Tapas by New York Magazine; La Vara, exploring Jewish and Moorish influence in southern Spain; and Saint Julivert, a petit fisherie inspired by ports of call near and far. Despite his formal training in San Sebastian and being born and raised in Bilbao, Eder spent his early cooking years with Mediterranean flavors in Catalunya before coming to New York as the Sous Chef at Meigas. Alex completed her formal culinary education at the Culinary Institute of America and afterward found an affinity for Spanish techniques and flavors in the kitchen of Meigas, where the couple first met. It was then they began planning a collection of Spanish restaurants reflecting their love of the tapas tradition and lesser-known regional Spanish dishes. Alex and Eder’s cookbook, The Basque Book: A Love Story in Recipes from the Kitchen of Txikito, is a deeply personal writers’ debut inspired by the home cooking traditions of the Basque country. The recipes and stories teach home cooks to celebrate humble ingredients by cooking them to exquisite perfection. Alex and Eder’s restaurants have been celebrated extensively by The New York Times, New York Magazine, Food and Wine, Bon Appétit, Time Out, Lucky Peach, Eater, and many more. They distinguish themselves by creating experiences that uniquely capture a sense of place without giving up a sense of personal intimacy. The result is delicious, inimitable, and authentic on all levels.
