Our Philosophy
Our Nuyorican BBQ mixes traditional BBQ technique with Caribbean Flavors. We cook on open fires of wood smoke and natural charcoal with ingredients sourced from local farms and waters. We blend our own spices and make all dressings and sauces on site. We support the island’s farmers, fishermen and commerce to offer you a unique truly local experience.
the family
La Estacion has been family owned and operated since 2006. (Let us tell you our story of how we got here). (Link to our story). At La Estacion, Kevin combines his love for Puerto Rico and passion for Barbecue, creating a new style of cuisine, we termed Nuyorican BBQ. He creates a new version of typical dishes he has come to love through joining Idalia’s family and adopting Puerto Rico as his own. This new interpretation of BBQ and Caribbean cuisine is the culinary story of Kevin Roth and Idalia Garcia’s union, their history and family.
The Dining experience
A unique indoor/outdoor space. If you don’t notice the vintage signs that decorate the outdoor kitchen, it is easy to forget La Estacion was once an abandoned Esso gas station. The garden atmosphere in our outdoor deck is a space that can be perfect for a large group…yet intimate enough to be romantic. Appropriate for children with its laid back, casual atmosphere and adult enough with its comfortable full bar equipped with fresh fruits and local microbrews on tap. Come have a meal at the bar, BBQ at our quick/self-service tables or a full meal with the grilled options of the day.
Meet the Owners
KEVIN ROTH
Chef/Pitmaster/Owner
Kevin Roth opened La Estacion in Fajardo, Puerto Rico in 2006 with Idalia Garcia. At La Estacion, he has received attention from Nation’s Restaurant News, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News Week, El Nuevo DIa (in Puerto Rico), Primera Hora (in Puerto Rico) as well as the Food Network’s Cooking Channel, PBS and Discovery Channel Travel.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, NY, Kevin Roth received training in the kitchens of San Francisco alongside of Wolfgang Puck and Bradley Ogden, founders of New American cuisine and pioneers in the farm to table movement. This experience led him to develop his own style of comfort food, which is always seasonally inspired and driven by local products. In NYC, Kevin Roth teamed up with Katy Sparks to open Quilty’s in Soho, and then became the Executive Chef for Coup in the East Village. While in New York, Chef Roth’s cuisine was cited several times in the New York Times, Daily News and the New York Post. Kevin Roth also dabbled in the private chef world and worked for the high profile couple Ellen Barkin and Ronald Perelman before moving on to become the executive Chef at One in the meatpacking district of Manhattan.
Upon moving to Puerto Rico, and building an outdoor kitchen, Chef Roth took what was once a hobby and integrated it into his career. There is nothing sloppy about Kevin’s BBQ, which he has perfected throughout the years through his participation and placements in the KCBS Caribbean BBQ Association Competition, and Memphis in May.
At La Estacion, Kevin combines his love for Puerto Rico and passion for Barbecue, creating a new style of cuisine, he’s termed Nuyorican BBQ. His unique point of view is a new interpretation of typical dishes that are now part of Kevin’s story through adopting Idalia’s family and Puerto Rico as his own. At La Estacion, Kevin Roth showcases quality local ingredients, and adapts classic culinary techniques to Puerto Rican comfort food and BBQ.
idalia garcia
Manager/Hostess/Owner
Idalia Garcia opened La Estacion in Fajardo, PR in 2006, with Kevin Roth- after years of working in the restaurant industry of NYC. La Estacion’s continued success is fueled by glowing recommendations from major guidebooks, websites and blogs that feature the restaurant as a highlight, a top ten and “a must stop at” in Puerto Rico. This response is due in large part to Idalia’s experience in restaurants and customer service.
Idalia Garcia was born in Norwalk, Ct., to Puerto Rican parents who met in NYC. Idalia was raised in a household where Spanish was spoken and Puerto Rican food was the menu. Idalia studied psychology at Connecticut College and worked with children and families after graduating.
Upon moving to New York City, Idalia worked as the Education Director for a Head Start Program in Brooklyn- responsible for training new teachers/parents and securing funds through grant proposals she wrote. It was Idalia Garcia’s need to supplement her own income in the expensive city of New York that lead her to discover an untapped talent and passion in restaurants. She began working at the Diner of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, pioneers in the farm to table movement in NYC. Idalia became the restaurant’s manager and participated in Diner’s growth, expanding to Marlow and Sons and Romans and discovering her true calling in the restaurant world.
Upon deciding to share their lives, Kevin Roth and Idalia decided to join forces and open a place of their own. They stumbled upon the opportunity to start a business in Puerto Rico, while here on vacation. (see our story) Idalia helped design the existing restaurant, heads the bar program and is the general manager. La Estacion’s signature drinks were invented by Idalia. If you ask Kevin he’ll tell you, he cooks while Idalia handles everything else.
