La Real: classic hamburgers from a family that has succeeded

BarcelonaThis story will end in Barcelona, shaping a fantastic burger joint on Valencia Street, La Real. But first, it's necessary to know the story behind it, full of love, but also, unfortunately, of difficulties. Meat and sugar serve as the common threads.

Eduardo Egui was an airplane pilot who fell in love with a flight attendant, Leonor Zambrano. One day he was told he was diabetic and could no longer fly commercial planes. If his blood sugar became unstable, it could be fatal. What for many would be a devastating blow was, in fact, great news: he could finally dedicate himself to what he had always wanted, which was to be a farmer. The family owned a farm in a remote area of Venezuela. They had all kinds of livestock: calves, horses, chickens. They made cheese. A self-sufficient life. Eduardo and Leonor had three sons, Eduardo, Alejandro, and David. The eldest, who was named after him, learned everything on the farm. He began studying engineering, until one day he decided to follow his true calling: cooking. He worked in renowned establishments, such as that of the acclaimed chef Carlos García, at the Malabar and Alto restaurants. And eventually, he opened Caracas Catering., to carry out high-end restoration on commission.

One fateful day, however, Eduardo Egui Sr., our cattle rancher, was kidnapped. A practice that, unfortunately, was common in several Latin American countries. The kidnappers killed him. The family weathered the storm and displayed remarkable resilience. Leonor realized she had to work hard and learned pastry making. She sought out the best courses and studied with Carlos García, Antonio Bachour, and for a time in Barcelona, learning from Christian Escribà. Now she dedicates herself to the world of sweets with her own company. AzucartSugar reappears in this story. As for the youngest son, he started writing about gastronomy and taking professional photographs of dishes. Now he represents restaurants worldwide and has been living in the Catalan capital for years, because Venezuela was experiencing a time of great uncertainty. He arrived a little before his eldest son, Eduardo, who came here to open the La Real burger joint in 2017 with a partner, Arturo López. They were only supposed to stay a few months: him, his wife, and their baby. They've finally made their home. And their second daughter already prefers to speak Catalan, eat olives, and, of course, enjoy a good spanking. We can't judge her.

The Invisible Thread

Eduardo's knowledge of the primary sector allowed him to choose his suppliers well, especially when it came to the meat he uses for his hamburgers. His beef comes from Mas Vall-Llosana in Castellterçol, a family farm that reminded him of his childhood and with which he instantly connected. There's often an invisible thread that weaves things together.

Eduardo explains that part of Real's success is that they've made classic hamburgers. They wanted to be the neighborhood burger joint for the locals, and they've succeeded. They haven't jumped on the bandwagon of showy burgers, loaded with things like waffles—monster burgers. Nor have they followed the trend of over-the-top burgers. smash burgerdesigned to hide the fact that the meat may not be of very high quality. They from smash They offer them because some people ask for them, but it's not the classic hamburger, nor the most popular one. At La Real, they have an onion that they serve sliced open in the shape of a flower, which works perfectly as a side dish to share. And from their native Venezuela, they've only incorporated the tequeñosThis is something relatively recent after seeing that they were working well in other establishments in Barcelona.

When the Egui family arrived in Catalonia, they were unfamiliar with the local scene. Now they are, and they share some of the same concerns, such as the need to prevent Barcelona from losing its identity and its historic shops. They've made friends with Catalans. In Eduardo's case, this is especially thanks to the parents at the school their children attend. They've also seen how our consumer habits have changed. On their first day, everyone was asking for cutlery. It would never have occurred to them. "It's like eating an arepa with cutlery," Eduardo says. Now there's a mix of people, but many diners prefer to eat their burgers with their hands. They realized that people in Catalonia have a strong culinary culture and appreciate quality ingredients. And they're confident, because by making classic burgers with good ingredients, they know they'll never go out of style.