Núria Solà: "Young people used to eat sushi; now many come to Bodega Sepúlveda to eat tripe and oxtail."

BarcelonaSisters Núria (Barcelona, ​​1975) and Sònia Solà (Barcelona, ​​1970) have been running Bodega Sepúlveda (173 Sepúlveda Street) since their father passed the baton to them during the pandemic. They both braved the world to return to the Born neighborhood, and today they're taking on the mantle with responsibility and determination, as the winery is a benchmark for stews, stews, fish, and seafood. They saw how Dad dedicated his life to it, and now they're doing it together, with well-distributed roles: Núria is in the dining room; Sonia, in the kitchen. In the summer, they've had lighter dishes, like the zucchini carpaccio, which has become an icon. Probably because Sonia must have invented it, and she started adding it to the menu when almost no one else was doing it. Cutting the zucchini into thin slices and dressing it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil came to her because of a large surplus of zucchini harvest.

Throughout the summer, there has been no shortage of seafood, shellfish, such as reeds, cockles, crayfish from La Rápita, and sautéed white shrimp. The two sisters explain that they shop at La Boqueria, as their family has always done. Their great-grandmother had worked as a butcher, so their relationship with the market is close.

Since last week, Núria Solà is president of the Barcelona Restaurant Guild, a position in which she replaces the beloved Isidre Gironés, from the Ca l'Isidre restaurant, whom they've known forever. In fact, the two sisters are well acquainted with Barcelona's chefs and restaurateurs, and they know how to highlight each one's qualities. Perhaps this is one of the Solà sisters' greatest strengths: the empathy they feel for their colleagues.

I lived above the restaurant when I was little.

— My parents still live there. I just went up to check on my father. My childhood memories are crawling around the restaurant, up and down the stairs, and behind the bar... When I was a little older, I was in charge of folding the tea towels, splitting the cod, and removing the bones from the anchovies. Come, I'll show you; we have them on the bar. We still do it, one by one.

He always says that it all started with a motorcycle.

— Yes, the motorcycle story is true. I was 16, a student, and wanted a motorcycle. My father said, "Okay, what kind of motorcycle do you want?" He bought it for me, and then he told me I had to go to work at Bodega Sepúlveda every weekend to pay for it.

Today she is the head waiter.

— Yes, and I like my job because it's very rewarding. If you smile, people smile back. With the dishes, you receive an immediate reward, which gives me adrenaline and the desire to keep going. The job also involves sacrifices. We have very tough hours. Just today I got off at 10:30 a.m. at the restaurant, but I've been taking orders since 8:00 a.m. And all of that without taking into account that I was late, very late last night. However, I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world. It would just be nice if we had a few more hours of personal time every day. We're open Tuesday through Saturday.

The work is divided between the two sisters. What does Sonia do?

— She's in the kitchen and handles the financial side. In the dining room, there are four of us waiting tables, and in the kitchen, nine plus my sister, that's ten. Those of us who wait tables at Bodega Sepúlveda all speak Catalan.

You've just taken office as president of the Restaurant Association. What's your assessment of the current situation in Barcelona?

— I always say that in the hospitality industry, there are restaurateurs, hospitality entrepreneurs, and vulture funds. I'm a restaurateur, I'm happy with my job, and I'd say I do twenty shows every night, depending on the clients I have. However, I recognize that restaurateurs with culinary acumen are essential. Without them, many talented chefs wouldn't have the opportunity to open a restaurant.

What does it mean with vulture funds?

— Those who open establishments and keep opening them. These are people who aren't in the industry and have no interest in gastronomy, but who dedicate themselves to opening establishments with other objectives. While they're at it, we should all share the pie equally.

At midday I've seen that there are business lunches, but there are also informal ones.

— Before the pandemic, everything was tied to ties, as we used to say about business lunches. All of this has changed. At business lunches, we still notice that budgets aren't set, while when people come with the family, it's a different story. Family budgets are what they are. This is the beauty of our menu prices: you can eat for thirty euros, or much more if you're generous. But in any case, the average bill is 40-50 euros, and it's always higher at lunchtime than at night.

Do people eat less at night?

— It's not so much that, but rather that people are ordering dishes to share. Perhaps people aren't as hungry, because it's become common knowledge that it's better for your health not to eat too much at night, or for whatever reason. The fact is that we've had to adapt, and we know that at night people will order more salads than sandwiches, for example.

What does it mean that you have had to adapt?

— In my father's time, we didn't have salads. Now we do, but we believe we haven't lost our identity, which is based on stews and produce.

Its wine list is a benchmark.

— We started as a winery, and we really like wine and sparkling wines. However, we've noticed that people aren't drinking as much anymore, much less than they used to. I think that when smoking was banned in restaurants, the first drop in drinking began, because cigars were tied to glasses, like whiskey, grappa, or grappa. The smoking ban in restaurants has cut our table time by an hour. Then there's the health issue, and, to top it all off, the fact that people don't drink as much at business lunches anymore.

What do you think about the trend of establishments that have opened under the name of store?

— Well, it's a trend that isn't based on history. Do you see these boots in the first room? They're from 1952, from our family, from the time when my great-grandfather took over the bar. The formula store It means pairing traditional cuisine with good wines. If that idea is fashionable, it's great; it means we're on the right track. We notice it because many young people come to eat traditional dishes like tripe or oxtail. Maybe young people used to eat sushi, but now many are lovers of stewed dishes.

Núria, does it have relief?

— We don't have children, neither Sonia nor I. My father retired at 79; he did so late because we were right behind him. We work so hard and don't have time for anything. Just think, on my birthday, June 13th, I spent the entire day working. We want to enjoy life too. In the future, when we retire, I would like someone to take over who maintains his spirit, and I would even be excited for them to improve it and make more of it.

Finally, I have never come across tables where there are tourists sitting.

— We have them, but there are also those who sit down, read the menu, and leave. I end up understanding the places on La Rambla, because their clientele is eager for what they're given. Sometimes I've even thought about making them a huge plate of fries. However, we have Asian tourists, who are more open to trying new dishes and will eat everything. Americans will have a sirloin steak and a salad; they're not as open-minded. Our culture of respect for the table is very unique. And at Bodega Sepúlveda, we consider ourselves a classic that has endured over time and remains amidst all trends.