The Sandoval Family: Archaeologists of Flavor

In 1955, a bar called La Peña (Coque) was opened, which is where this story begins.

Álvaro (known as "Coque"), the Sandoval brothers' maternal grandfather, managed the dining room. His wife, Isidra, was in charge of the kitchen and used excellent local produce, including game, beef, and locally-grown vegetables.

The founders of La Peña: Isidra and Álvaro Coque.

As a child, Teresa, their daughter, used to help serve the tables, later working with her mother in the kitchen, following her recipes while trying out ideas of her own.

The restaurant was open non-stop from 6 a.m. until after midnight.

Taking the Reins

Teresa was 22 when her mother died and she had to take over the running of the kitchen. By then, she was married to Rafael Sandoval, who took over from his father-in-law in the dining room. The pair raised their children without taking a break from their work.

Teresa's Famous Stews

The restaurant was constantly filled with customers from Humanes de Madrid and further afield. They came to try Teresa's stews, especially hare with beans; "prendedero" rice with tuna in a home-made pickle called "escabeche" (passed down by Isidra); and her famous chops with hyssop, made with a cold dressing of olive oil, vinegar, and oregano.

A Natural Transition

Passing the family business from one generation to the next was a natural step, since the Sandoval brothers had spent years helping in the restaurant. Some of them juggled their own interests with the restaurant business, while others put their heart and soul into the family enterprise from a young age. The death of their father, however, meant that these changes came sooner than anticipated.

Rafael: The Sommelier who Fought Bulls in Las Ventas

Rafael Sandoval inherited his grandfather Coque's passion for bullfighting, and temporarily left the family business to pursue it as a career. However, following his father's sudden death, he left the bullring behind to get involved in the family business and take over the running of the wine cellar. Rafael was named the best sommelier of 2018 by Spain's International Academy of Gastronomy.

Juan Diego: A Natural-Born Bar Manager

Juan Diego worked in the bar from the age of 13, when his father asked him to help out full-time. When his father died, he took over the management of the restaurant.

He has managed Coque's dining room for over 10 years, earning him Spain's National Gastronomy Award in 2016. He is also at the forefront of diversifying the family business.

Mario: Heir to the Kitchen

"I learned the trade, the fundamentals, and my knowledge of the restaurant business and culture from my parents."

Although he was raised in the kitchen, Mario, the youngest of the brothers, also trained at the Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo (School of Hospitality Management and Tourism) in Madrid. He spent time working as a trainee in various restaurants in Spain (Jockey, El Bulli, and Arzak) and France (Bocuse and Bras).

Since 1999, he has been Coque's culinary director, winning Spain's National Gastronomy Award in 2013 for his work.

In 2003, Coque received the award for the Best Restaurant in Spain from Spain's Ministry of Agriculture. A year later, it received its first Michelin star.

From then on, Mario began to seek his own philosophy, and ended up focusing on the "archaeology of flavor," with an emphasis on authentic local produce, working as a family, and what he learned on his travels.

In 2015, the restaurant received its second Michelin star.

Reinventing Family Dishes

In his "archaeology of flavor," Mario Sandoval is concerned—just as his parents were—with the origins of every ingredient, and the authenticity of each dish.

Cutting-Edge Cuisine that Is Faithful to Its Roots

The family's wood oven remains a key part of Coque's kitchen. It is used to give the finishing touch to several dishes while, of course, also being used for roasting suckling pig. Although Coque creates cutting-edge cuisine, presenting its dishes in small mouthfuls, the family legacy is still a huge part of Mario's cooking.

Other recipes that he has honored in his cooking are his mother's "escabeche" and his father's mushroom stews.

Research

Searching for the best produce and new ingredients while remaining faithful to their roots is in the Sandoval family's DNA. It is what their parents did with pork, and the children—Mario in particular—have continued along this path, using the family's vegetable garden to grow produce that is native to the region.

In conjunction with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Mario has also developed various techniques and technologies than can be applied to gastronomy. Areas of interest include supercritical liquid extraction, hydrolyzed egg, ecological fighting-bull beef cooked at high pressure, polyphenols in red wine, and fibers. These have all been used in Coque's dishes over the years.

Journey to Madrid

The Sandovals always dreamed of opening a branch in Spain's capital city, Madrid—a vision shared by many of their regular customers. In 2017, this dream came true.
The dining room of the new premises is almost double the size of the original restaurant, and has a view of the spectacular kitchen, which is filled with natural light.

Guests are taken on a gastronomic tour that leads them through the bar, the wine cellar (a semi-circular space with an artificial tree at its center), the kitchen, and the research and development area, before arriving in the dining room. They are given a different appetizer in each.

Present and Future

"My children are still young, but Rafael and Diego's children are already taking their first steps in the restaurant," says Mario. "Only time will tell whether they really like it. Coque is and will always be their home, but they are in charge of their own destinies. Ours is in Madrid now."