Our chefs are at the heart of Gabi Food Tours. They both have traveled extensively and learned the culture perfectly so you can enjoy your adventures.
Antonio Rullo
Chef Tour Director
Hello. I’m Antonio Rullo, born and rise in La Mancha, Toledo. I have a lot of passion for food, wine, travel, traditions and the Arts. I graduated in Travel Agencies in Madrid and Tecnico Superior in Alojamientos Hoteleros in the Escuela Superior de Hosteleria y Turismo in Madrid.
Moved to Boulder and started to work at Dagabi Cucina Restaurant where I became the head chef and General Manager of this Boulder” best keep secret, a truly Spanish and Mediterranean restaurant that now is my home. Working with the previous owner Jairo Landeros who is now is my partner in this exiting adventure, along with Noah Westby, my dear boss in Dagabi Tapas Bar who actively collaborates in this new adventure as well. We will use Dagabi like our “base camp” to introduce the exiting food, wines, libations and itineraries in Spain and Italy with special wine tastings, paired dinners and other events.
I am a traveler myself and love communicating with people from different countries. This is also why I understand travelers. When I travel I don’t want to feel like a tourist but rather like a traveler and I want to INTERACT with the LOCALS and get in touch with their world. I believe that the people in a place make a trip memorable, and I would like to help you have those interactive experiences during our trips. I love to combine a MIXTURE of entertainment, immersive cooking experiences with local chefs, interesting facts about the present society as well as fun anecdotes about everyday life, this makes history come alive. As a real Spaniard foodie, I will show you where to eat, how to order and explain about the local food and drinks., that will be the highlight for our tours.
Jairo Landeros
Chef Tour Director
Hello and welcome, my name is Jairo Landeros and Gabi Tours is the result of a lifetime spent traveling the world, cooking good food, and talking with the people who make each place special. I was born in Mexico and moved with my family to the U.S. where I began my culinary education in the kitchens of restaurants around the country. I worked in San Francisco, where I developed my love of Italian cooking, before working in Hawaii where I met my wife, Laura. Together we moved to Italy where I continued to refine my skills as a chef, working in kitchens and cooking fresh pizzas, pastas, and sauces. Later we returned to Mexico where I opened my first restaurant in Playa del Carmen named Dagabi Cucina for my daughter, Gabi.
After that, I traded the beach for the mountains and moved Boulder along with my family to Boulder, Colorado, where I was able to practice and refine my Mediterranean cuisine. During this time, I expanded both my restaurants and my family, welcoming our son Nikko and opening Nikko Cucina in Lafayette, CO. It was in Boulder that I met Antonio, a talented Spanish chef who taught me about Spanish flavors and techniques, featuring Spanish dishes as specials at the restaurant. As Antonio and I spent more time in the kitchen, experimenting with traditional dishes and learning from one another, Gabi’s focus shifted from being purely Italian to having a host of Spanish dishes and influence. Our shared passion for Mediterranean food and culture has blossomed into a profound friendship and I was proud to hand over the reigns of Dagabi when the time came. Today Antonio runs Dagabi which has quickly become one of Boulder’s most celebrated Spanish restaurants.
I have been blessed with many opportunities to travel, including yearly visits to Italy to see my wife’s family in Milan. During these travels, I have sampled fine foods and wines from across Europe, learning to use new flavors and techniques along the way. I enjoy meeting new people and getting to know them over a good meal and a fine bottle of wine, and while exploring food I have found that I am also exploring culture — what people eat, how they eat, and the traditions that they build. When you sit around a table with people you get to hear their stories and connect with them through language and taste. I believe that food joins us together and teaches us about the land beneath our feet. I am excited to have the opportunity to lead you through the culinary and cultural experiences that have made my life so rich and vibrant.
Now, I direct these international culinary travel programs in Spain and Italy with the same basic philosophy. I invite you to come along as we experience new cultures with open curiosity, using food as a vehicle to taste the fullness of the culture and place.
Why should you come on a tour with us? Let me tell you!
We have built up a great deal of KNOWLEDGE about this vibrant country which Antonio is proud to call my home. We’ll show you things that you won’t see on the tour bus. Our tours are PERSONAL. Antonio is a true heir of the Mediterranean traditions; our history, gastronomy, art and festivals. We are open and hard-working people. We’ll offer you the chance to take part in our unique guided tours. We will offer you a different way to discover these food adventures, as someone who is a native. We are not only a guide but a local born in these lands with a special feeling about the Mediterranean heritage in Spain and Italy. I also truly understand the American standards of travelling, a bit different from Spanish, aiming the “professional tasting” of gourmet cuisine and solid knowledge of organic products also. There are many places to discover and you will be able to have a rich experience even in a few days time. I am very curious and like to be in the vanguard of the actuality.
My goal is to focus on what a visitor would like to experience because I have worked with many travelers in Spain and USA.I am very excited and proud to be opening these food adventures to guests in cities and medium and small villages so that they may enjoy their time there as if they were natives sharing with you folklore and ancient traditions . Actually, I love finding and making new friends who can show me the place from the inside. This is what you will experience in your time together with us..
We will be sure you will have all the time you need to enjoy every aspect that interests you. Both prior to and during your tour, we will interpret the local Spanish to help your experience and understand the wonders of the customs, places and sites. I instinctively know your questions and what you find of interest, because I still find these cultural differences fascinating myself.
Just say NO to boredom! No matter which tour or itinerary you choose, no one understands the passion of Spain, its history, beauty and chaos better than we do ! We promise our guests to not only give them an understanding of the big or the small town we are visiting, but how each place fits in the overall time-line of Spanish history, Europe and the world, and we will leave you with intriguing food for thought, so that you go home really having been deeply affected by your experience with us. You will go home with a true Spanish friend. With us, you will always have a connection with Spain, its food and traditions.