Tomas triumphs in Turre!

HE hasn’t lost the Midas touch. His newest venue, a rural hostal on the outskirts of Turre is packing them in with good food, wines and bouncy entertainment—and the people come from miles around.

The culinary mogul has taken a large farmhouse and redone it similar to one of Jerez’s flamenco taverns and it works. These are places not with crystal glasses but are meant to be places of sincere fun and escape.

Sing along or dance by yourself, nobody else cares. My wife declared she needed a “meat fix” and I knew she wouldn’t be disappointed. Where else can you get a full course meal with dancing and a great show thrown in for €14?

And, it’s not a late evening with music and food kicking off at exactly 8pm, unless you’re a dancin´ fool, you can be home by 11 and feel that you were truly entertained.

Popular Victor Berjel is the perfect wedding singer, knowing all the tunes that his audience requires to get them on the dance floor or sitting back and enjoying his multi versions of popular hits.

The crowd was a conglomerate of German, Dutch and swooning English.

After Victor played about ten songs, turning up the volume from time to time and getting the place jumping some really good Flamenco girls came on—slick and professional.

Hand picked by Tomas, Ana Gil and Juani Visiado were perfect for the night’s headline entertainers. Tomas has beat the Turre Flamenco “offside trap” by bringing in professionals from Garrucha.

I had no idea such competent people (artists) existed so near.

I still get p****d off when you say ‘Turre’ and ‘Flamenco’. I was in the audience the night 12 years ago that the Junta Andalucía sent famous artists to perform in the small villages to keep Andalusia flamenco alive.

One of them was none other than international recording star Tomatito, who accompanied for years the greatest modern Flamenco star the world had known, Cameron de la Isla.

But, the locals wouldn’t let him perform, not on their stage, not in front of them nor their wives—only they could sing in their own village! I’ve been angry with Turre since.

Every once in a while it is nice to sit back and watch the show—be totally entertained.

This summer the entire affair will be outside under the stars and a mini van will be laid on to avoid the Green Cazadores that lurk in the night; or stay over night.

Clever forward thinking that deserves to be rewarded.