Jorge Segundo, from Catedral Cafè: "We want to enter, with humility, the heart of Chamberí"

Itziar Lecea / Ciutadella/Photos: Catedral Cafè – The central establishment Catedral Cafè takes a step towards the peninsula with the opening of a franchise in the Madrid neighborhood of Chamberí. Just three years ago now, Jorge Segundo, from Uruguay but resident in Argentina, and Gonzalo Elisalde, also from Uruguay, decided to open the small place in Plaça de la Catedral, very focused on the people of Ciutadella, but also for the tourism that arrives there. With business going well, they are now daring to take another step towards Madrid.

How did the idea of ??making the leap to Madrid come about?
As a challenge for the team and also personally, because I have been working in gastronomy for 20 years. We have always had the goal of making Café Catedral Madrid a reality.

And why Madrid?
Because, for me, Madrid is one of the five most important cities in the world. It is a reference. Just like Menorca, it is a tourist reference in the Balearic Islands, for being such a well-kept territory, for maintaining its history and its essence, which can be seen in its streets. Madrid is the largest metropolitan city in Spain, many things happen there, many things move. Therefore, disembarking in a neighborhood like Chamberí, which is a very Madrid area, is a new challenge.

It will be very different to be in a neighborhood like Chamberí.
It has different things, obviously. But we set ourselves the goal, we assembled the team and, as with Gonzalo, we already have the experience and know how to develop the brand, we set about it and it worked. Thanks also to my lady, who got involved.

Did you have any connection with the capital before establishing Catedral Café?
Of having landed in Madrid, yes, because my wife has always liked it and she took me there. But it happened to me like with Menorca, which is a place where I feel very comfortable. Besides, I have a friend who lives in Madrid who wanted to set something up, and another Argentinian friend who wanted to go to the Madrid capital, so I saw the opportunity to make the leap. I can do the management and operational part, while they run the establishment. It's been a job done in record time, because we came up with the idea on June 10, and we're opening right now. The most important thing has been the conviction that we could do it, and so it has been.

What would you say is the essence of Catedral Café?
It is a coffee with the union of Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, with different pastry proposals that have their roots in each of these cultures. In addition, with a deeply rooted coffee culture, because the three territories are very coffee-growing. For others, Cafè Catedral, both in Madrid and Menorca, is a meeting point for the residents of the area, but also for those passing by. And being able to live a small experience in a cozy place, which invites you to spend a good time.

It will be interesting to see how the name Catedral, so linked to our square, arrives in Madrid.
We played with that, and we did it consciously. I think it is an added point to the charm of Cafè Catedral Madrid, the fact of being able to tell where the origin of the name comes from, the why. So we will link the two destinations across the world. And we will link the two neighborhoods through the cafeteria.

What are the differences between the two establishments?
The first difference between both venues is the fact that Catedral Madrid will have 18 seats, banquets, to be able to sit. The space gives us this possibility, which we do not have in Menorca, and we will take advantage of it.

It's funny that brands start in big places and spread to smaller places; and that, in your case, it is the other way around.
Yes, in this sense we are doing it completely the other way around. It is part of the adrenaline of opening a new business, even if the format is already familiar to us.

Will the pastry be the same?
It will be very similar to what we do in Menorca, because we have the scandals done, as well as the recipes and the way of doing it, which we have already fully developed, so we will replicate the type of food and the quality of the coffee. This year we innovated with a Facoco, which is a coconut alfajor, which is made a lot in Uruguay, and we really liked it. In Madrid, we will also do something new, more adapted to the gastronomy of Madrid.

Will there be churros and porras?
I think so, but it will be later. First we will establish the foundations of the place and then we will give it the Madrid touch, as we did in Menorca with the island's gastronomy.

Did you advertise during the summer?
From Sant Joan we are promoting to customers from Madrid who have come to Menorca during the summer, telling them that we are opening in Chamberí this autumn. And the response has been very positive and enthusiastic. So we are going there with great excitement, we want to become Chamberí's neighbors, and humbly enter the heart of Chamberí.