Cal Pep's Bodegueta: love and cooking without half measures

Sagrario came to Barcelona for love. A love that knows nothing of maps or fears; the kind that packs your suitcase without knowing what you'll find on the other side. Living in Cartagena, she met a boy doing his military service and fell hopelessly in love with him. He had his life in Barcelona; she was only seventeen. To go with him, she needed her father's signature: permission almost impossible in those days for a girl who wanted to truly start living. Finally, her father reluctantly signed it, thanks to her mother's patience and firm character. Always mothers.

"But I would have come anyway, with or without paperwork," Sagrario explains with a laugh. That early courage, that way of throwing herself into life without looking back, is the same that is evident in her cooking today. In each dish there is memory, character, and a way of understanding love very similar to the one that brought her here: without half measures.

Sagrario Susmozas is one of the cooks at La Bodega de Cal Pep, a few meters from the Sants Market, a bodega that will celebrate its centenary in 2027. "It's the essence of old-fashioned bodegas, the kind that have been around forever, and now they're back in fashion," explains Sagrario. Since 2023, the establishment has been managed by three partners (Gustavo, Verónica, and Edu), who are passionate about bodegas and already own other venues: El Cau del Vermut, El Cau del Centre, and El Cau Més Radical, all three in L'Hospitalet. They aim to modernize these establishments without losing their soul, combining a bodega and a vermouth bar—a formula that is both convincing and pleasing—with a simple yet effective menu.

While we sip house vermouths and some beer, we whet our appetites with a couple of gildas and some pork rinds From Soria, served by Aitor Fernández, the manager. We shared several dishes, such as the spicy snails. "They have cayenne pepper and a spicy kick. They're strong and potent," says Sagrario, laughing, who has added her personal touch to the tripe with head and foot: "They have chorizo, a casserole, and sofrito."

With dessert (carrot cake and cheesecake), with the sips still on the table, Sagrario admits that she is self-taught in the kitchen. Although her family comes from the business, she didn't open her first restaurant until 2000. At La Bodegueta, she feels comfortable and appreciates having decent hours that allow her to live calmly and take care of the young man she met thirty-eight years ago in Cartagena, now her husband.

The walls of La Bodegueta de Cal Pep are a hundred years old and serve as a reminder that it's not just a place where you can eat well; they also demonstrate that important things are done with heart, patience, and slow cooking. You can also sense the essence of the life that Sagrario began so many years ago: a life made of courageous love, dedication, and moments that, like her dishes, must be savored with all the intensity of your heart.