Enjoy a bit of Spain in Huntingburg’s newest restaurant

Marlen Lorente has craved opening a restaurant in Dubois County ever since arriving here about ten years ago.

She had worked in the restaurant industry in Spain for many years before emigrating to the United States, and she was sure the country’s cuisine would be a welcome addition to the area. But when she told her two daughters, Iglaidis and Gema, that they should open a Spanish restaurant, the pair weren’t having it.

“We said, ‘You’re crazy. Like, no!'” she laughed.

Of course, they were young, Gema only 15 and her sister in her early 20s, which may have affected their support of the idea.

So Marlen continued working in her truck-driving career, traveling all over the United States while the Spanish cuisine remained in their home’s kitchen.

But the idea resurfaced as Gema realized how much she loved working in the restaurant industry. She had been working at local restaurants since she was a teen while attending Jasper High School. After graduating and heading to Purdue to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering, she realized she missed her work.

She remembered waking up and looking forward to going to work.

“When I was a waitress, I had fun at my job,” Gema explained.

She loved meeting new people and helping them have a good experience with their meal.

Then, as she surveyed local restaurant options, all of which she thought were great, she saw there may be a niche they could fill.

“So I was like, actually, I think my mom has a good idea,” Gema said.

Then she told her mom, “Mom, you know what? I think let’s try it. Like, let’s do it.”

That was two years ago. Soon after that decision, they found a location on Fourth Street in the old China Wok location, but it needed a lot of work to match their vision. Getting the space wasn’t a given, though. The building’s owner, Jayme Rasche, wasn’t planning to rent it until Gema showed him her plan.

“He was like, let’s do this,” she explained.

Then, while the building was torn down to the studs, Gema went to Louisville to learn how to run a busy restaurant. She worked at Galt House and the Pendennis Club—which claims to be where the Old Fashioned was created.

I know Jasper, but I wanted to work in places where there is a lot of people,” she said.

She learned how to handle a party of 20, took up bartending to learn how to make drinks, and worked business events in the Galt House’s conference rooms. For months, she drove an hour and a half each way.

And during that time, her conviction in the restaurant grew.

Her mother shares that conviction.

For Marlen, the kitchen is about care as much as recipes. Speaking through Gema’s translation, she said Spanish food culture holds a high standard for quality, but the most important ingredient in any dish is love. A plate isn’t just a plate to her, Gema explained. It’s a creation.

The menu draws on traditional dishes from regions across Spain. A meal can start in Madrid, where Gema was born, with patatas bravas, fried potatoes under a spicy sauce, or a plate of croquetas. Head east to Valencia, where paella comes from, and the menu offers four versions to share: seafood, meat, vegetable and mixed. Or Valencia with dátiles rellenos, dates stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon, sweet and salty in one bite. From Andalusia in the south, a region Gema says she loves, come garlic shrimp, meatballs in sauce and gazpacho, a cold tomato soup.

This geographically driven menu is accented with a clickable map on the restaurant’s website that highlights the menu items’ origins. You can view it here.

And Marlen prepares these dishes her own way, drawing on her years in Spanish restaurants. She knows some dishes won’t taste exactly like they do in Spain, since she has to work with ingredients available here, but she is putting as much quality and effort into each plate as she can.

What she loves most, she said, is watching people react to a dish they enjoy, and she hopes diners will share plates and try several dishes instead of ordering one each.

While Marlen plans to run the kitchen, Gema will handle the front end and guest experience, with Iglaidis helping wherever needed.

The thoughtfulness behind every element of the newly opened restaurant, El Capricho de Marlen, reflects an intentional celebration of three women’s backgrounds and a shared dedication to bringing a superb dining experience to Dubois County.

It also reflects Marlen’s idea, as the restaurant’s name literally means Marlen’s Craving.

El Capricho de Marlen is at 317 E. Fourth St. in Huntingburg. It is open from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Reservations can be made at elcaprichodemarlenwebsite.netlify.app/reservas. Parties of five or more should call 812-684-0058.

You can also follow them on Facebook here.

Gema said reservations are best for now, as they are just getting up and running, though they will announce dining availability on their Facebook page.