Marta Fernández Guadaño
Updated Monday, April 8, 2024-00:19
Pastry The fever of palmeritas that has overwhelmed an entire town
His last name 'means' pastry and it is to that sweet lineage that
David Torreblanca
belongs , who could not have opted for anything other than the same noble trade as his father, something that he can now practice in his shop-workshop opened just two months ago. in Madrid. By Torreblanca is the new headquarters in the capital of a saga dedicated to creative pastries and avant-garde desserts.
Best Pastry Chef in Europe in 1990,
Paco Torreblanca
, the father of the family is considered
one of the best pastry chefs in the world and author of the well-known and award-winning 'panettone'
. He is the star product of the family group created as his sons, David and Jacob, who follow in his footsteps, while also facing their own projects. This is the case of By Torreblanca. "I have opened with two capitalist partners who have made this beautiful project possible in the Salamanca neighborhood," says David Torreblanca to present his new space, inaugurated at the beginning of February. He says that the opportunity to open in Madrid "arose from a very dear person who introduced me to the investment partners and, when we saw the
premises next to the La Paz Market
, we loved the location and considered it to be the ideal location for the Torreblanca brand. ".
Return to Madrid
It is, at the same time, the return to Madrid of the Torreblancas, who in the past had various businesses in the capital, such as the offices that Paco Torreblanca had years ago in Juan Bravo - whose proposal was completed on the salty side with the cuisine of Sergi Arola—and Paseo de la Habana. "
We return to Madrid with enthusiasm
for this new project, since, although we had two stores in the past, the projects did not come to a successful conclusion due to incidents with the licenses," says David Torreblanca.
By Torreblanca premises next to the entrance to the La Paz market.
His father, after spending twelve years in France, returned to Spain.
"I wanted to start expressing my ideas in pastry, something that was not always understood. I tried to contribute ideas from restoration to pastry," Paco Torreblanca recalled a few years ago. "I think that we pastry chefs have lacked expressing our work on a plate with a sweet made at the moment and not with sweets that the customer takes home when buying them in a store. That's why I tried to bring the kitchen sweet to the pastry shop. "It implies
giving rigor to the pastry shop
, from which, later, the kitchen also imported processes and ways of working. Rigor and perseverance are key in any job," added the father of the family. The mother house is located in Petrel, a town in Alicante where the saga adds a workshop, store and school.
"Haute pastry" (lighter)
In any case, the proposal of "haute pastry" returns, as the Torreblancas define it. What does it mean? "A quality pastry,
without preservatives or colorants
, which has always been the flag of the Torreblanca family, taking maximum care of the detail and highlighting the more than sixty years of work and research of my father Paco Torreblanca in the world of baking. pastry," defines his son David.
This philosophy means a pastry offering aligned with the trend of
lighter and lower sugar formulas
, although equally rich and delicious. "
We offer a pastry product with a third of sugar in the products
, compared to other pastry shops, because for the Torreblanca family it is important that all products are lighter and that each flavor such as tea, chocolate, raspberry, cheese and cream are the protagonists and are not masked by sugar. That is our maximum bet: light products with pure flavors and unique sensations for the palate," summarizes David Torreblanca, who, in the first person plural, makes it clear that 'the family' is equivalent to strict work codes as pastry chefs.
David Torreblanca in his premises on Lagasca street.
This family philosophy also determines the offering of By Torreblanca. "
Many of the products come from the workshop of my father, Paco Torreblanca, and my brother Jacob . Here we give our personal touch. We prepare the millefeuille, the ensaimadas, the
croissants
daily
- "We have French pastries with pure butter" -, the delicious chocolate palms and the salty offering that we offer every day," defines David Torreblanca.
With
hours from Monday to Saturday from 8 in the morning to 8 in the afternoon and, on Sunday, only until 4:00 p.m.
, By Torreblanca operates as a store, cafeteria and tasting space with tables to "taste our coffees,
gourmet
teas , pastries and pastry". For example, you shouldn't miss the hot chocolate with Chinese five spices that you can try sitting at a table in the store - at a price of four euros per cup.
What is the By Torreblanca offer like?
What can you ask for from this 'Torreblanca offer'? A tasty
millefeuille made of caramelized puff pastry and natural Tahitian vanilla
is one of Paco Torreblanca's
hits
and one of the pastry pieces from the Madrid headquarters, among a total of about 25 references, priced at 6.75 euros each. On the pastry side, you can choose from individual toasted cream ensaimada to a palm tree dipped in 70% chocolate.
Royal Gianduja Cake.
For celebrations, there are the
cakes, priced at 45 euros
and defined by David Torreblanca as
the "flagship of the house"
, under about 15 recipes. Among them is their famous Gianduja Real cake, which "we made for the
wedding of Don Felipe and Doña Leticia
, current Kings of Spain." In addition,
stollen with raisins and walnuts,
brie
cheesecake
, almond and caramel tiles or chocolate caviar in three versions or flavors — black, milk and caramel and raspberry — and in cans of two sizes of 40 and 90 grams, with prices of 8 and 19.45 euros, respectively.
Of course, there are bonbons, as well as kikos, almond and caramel chocolates, made by the next generation, the young Sergio Torreblanca, son of David Torreblanca. In addition, By Torreblanca has an offer with some gluten-free and lactose-free products.
The 'panettone' of the family
Of course, the family's star recipe is not missing: their
panettone
, "awarded as the best in the world." It is delivered in
four versions: chocolate, gianduja, orange and white chocolate and raspberry
. They are available in various sizes of half a kilo and one kilo, with
prices from 25 to 40 euros
. By order, they are prepared in two and four kilo formats.
The 'golden pannettone' of the Torreblanca family.
At the Madrid headquarters, David Torreblanca also adds an evolution of the emblematic product of his surname. "the 'gold pannetone' that contains 70% guanaja chocolate from Valrhona and 18 carat gold; this is the bet that I have as a novelty for lovers of chocolate,
pannetone
,
gourmet
and exclusive things."
Looking for investors
With the air of a modern Parisian pastry shop, By Torreblanca displays its sweet pieces in the display cases of its counters within an
almost minimalist space
. "It is a
white establishment, because for us it means purity
, where the product and the attention of our staff stand out, so that our customers can feel warmth, enjoy a cozy atmosphere and feel at home," reasons David Torreblanca.
Years ago, his father made it clear that in the distribution of functions at Grupo Torreblanca, he was "the most romantic", while his children were clear about another approach:
"My children manage
. "
Perhaps, for this reason, By Torreblanca seems like the potential starting point for a growth plan. "Now I am looking for new investors to expand the brand, both nationally and internationally," he acknowledges.
By Torreblanca. Lagasca, 51. La Paz Market. Madrid. Tel.: 640 99 75 75.