Fernando Coppola is the perfect person for his job. As executive chef at the new AC Hotel, Coppola oversees Paloma, the Spanish tapas restaurant and bar on the ground floor, along with the hotel’s other six culinary concepts. It might be a daunting task for some, but Coppola takes his full plate in stride.
“Paloma for me is very easy because it’s what I grew up eating,” admits the chef, who moved here a year ago, leaving behind a gig at the W Chicago City Center. “It’s what I cook at home [for his wife and two small children]; it’s what I enjoy eating. When I was writing the menu, I was enjoying in my mind all the flavors.” Growing up in Buenos Aires, with grandparents from Italy on his father’s side of the family and Spain on his mother’s side, Coppola savored family gatherings that revolved around eating and cooking. By the time he finished high school, he knew he was headed for a culinary career.
After visiting Greenville for the first time, Coppola fell in love with our vibrant city and Paloma’s chic, natural-light-filled space that opens onto the corner of Main and Broad streets on Camperdown Plaza. “This corner is the center of Greenville,” he says. “And that’s what I want Paloma to be—a place where people can come and find great food, great cocktails, great ambiance, and great service. Where they know whether they come today or next week, they’ll get the same level of quality.”
Coppola brings his global experience working in Argentina, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, and Qatar to bear in designing Paloma’s menu. “I like to play with the senses,” he reveals, citing the warm Brussels sprouts as an example. “We finish it with orange zest grated on top of the warm Brussels sprouts, and you get this fresh aroma of orange when you bring the dish to the table.”
Concentrating on cocktails, the dramatic centerpiece bar shows off a mesh curtain calling to mind the theater curtain at the Peace Center across the street. Libations are fashioned to pair with the tapas dishes. Case in point is the Wild Flower cocktail, a fruit-forward combination of peach vodka, Aperol, and lemon that rounds out the spicy tomato-based sauce and smoky Spanish paprika in Patatas Bravas.
“I cook with passion and love, and keep it simple,” says Coppola. “I always say to my team, ‘Do every single dish as if you were cooking for your family.’ Then you can see the love on every plate.”
Paloma, 315 S Main St, Greenville. (864) 720-2950, palomagvl.com
A TASTE OF TAPAS
Boquerones en Vinagre
For this dish, Coppola takes cured sardines imported from Spain and marinates them in escabeche (capers, onions, vinegar, and chile pepper). The result is piquant, but not overly spicy, its citrusy notes echoed by lime aioli.
Pan con Tomate
“I love this dish because I cannot pass one day without eating bread,” declares the chef. In his version of the Spanish classic, toasted sourdough is spread with seasonal tomatoes, peeled and crushed to order. A sprinkling of salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil completes the dish.
Pulpo con Papas
Coppola follows his Spanish grandmother’s technique for cooking octopus, submerging it quickly three times in boiling water before simmering it until tender. The sliced tentacles, which are marinated overnight in olive oil, Spanish paprika, garlic, and parsley, are served warm alongside fries tossed in garlic confit.
Photography by Paul Mehaffey
