Vicente Aguilar Cerezo, founder of the renowned Spanish restaurant La Lluna de Valencia in San Roque de Barva, Heredia, died on April 3. His family announced his passing through the restaurant’s social media profile. A funeral service is scheduled for April 4 at the church in Barva de Heredia.
Aguilar was known for introducing and popularizing Spanish cuisine in Costa Rica. Born on September 16, 1948 in Valencia, Spain, he arrived in Costa Rica after fleeing violence in Central America. He initially supported himself by making paellas to order before opening his own restaurant.
His family said: “Se fue en paz, tranquilo, rodeado de amor, con la habitación llena de sus seres queridos.”
Aguilar’s journey began as a member of a humble Catholic family opposed to Franco’s regime. He entered seminary training and became a Franciscan friar involved with workers and people with disabilities during Spain’s postwar years. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he traveled to Nicaragua to assist with literacy campaigns led by the Sandinista government.
In El Salvador during the civil war era, Aguilar worked on educational projects for children orphaned by conflict. After the assassination of Ignacio Ellacuría and other Jesuits at Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (UCA) in November 1989—where Aguilar was a close collaborator—he fled to Costa Rica for safety.
He settled permanently in Costa Rica by 1995 after further work across Central America and opened La Lluna de Valencia on February 14, 1996. The restaurant quickly became an important destination for Spanish cuisine enthusiasts locally.
Reflecting on local culture he once said: “El costarricense, como el valenciano, puede comer arroz por la mañana, al mediodía y en la noche,” highlighting similarities between Valencian traditions and those found in Costa Rica such as gallo pinto and casado dishes.
Aguilar received several awards from Spain including third place at Concurs Internacional de Paella Valenciana de Sueca (2017), Wikipaella’s Golden Spoon (2020), and first place at Festival de Paellas (2022).
The impact of Aguilar’s work is evident both among those who enjoyed his food and within culinary circles recognizing his contribution to cultural exchange between Spain and Costa Rica.
