Hello Migue and Carmen, welcome to haztuhelado.com. It is a real pleasure to have you on the site; we were very keen to talk to you and to hear about all the things we have been wondering about.
For anyone who doesn't know them, Migue and Carmen own the ice cream shop "Gelática Ice Concept", an absolute must for anyone going to Valencia. Migue is also a master pastry chef and runner-up world champion of ice cream making in 2018 — a real luxury.
01From pâtisserie to ice cream
I'd like to go back a little further than all this ice cream business. How, when and why did you start with pastry?
I remember my cousin worked as a cleaner in a well-known pastry shop in Valencia; they needed an apprentice and I showed up there to see whether I could start working.
I was 15 and not yet legally old enough for an apprentice position; even so, they let me come at weekends to help out and try it, to see whether I liked it.
Aurelio and Mercedes had a very well-regarded pastry shop back then, called Dulces Sanz. I have very fond memories of that time in my life; the welcome they gave me was the trigger for the professional I am today, my learning there was very enriching and I remember it with great affection.
I combined my work with my studies as a pastry chef at the higher school of pastry of the guild of master confectioners of Valencia.
I stayed there for five years. During that time I entered the first competition of my life, the Young Pastry Chefs of Valencia; I was 17 and came third. Two years later I decided to enter again and won first prize at the Young Pastry Chefs of Valencia. Ever since then I have enjoyed competing.
My development at the Sanz pastry shop was limited; I consider myself a very restless and creative person, monotony bores me quite a lot, so I decided for a change of scene.
I was offered the chance to work at the Selvi pastry shop alongside my classmate José Selvi, its owner. Together we created a very enriching working synergy and allowed ourselves several stages at renowned pastry shops, among them Totel (Paco Torreblanca), where new horizons opened up for me in pastry and I began to meet the great figures behind some of today's benchmarks. Totel was the mirror in which most of the pastry figures in our country have seen themselves reflected.
I spent three years alongside my colleague José Selvi and once again my life took a turn: I was offered the chance to be head of the workshop at the Venus pastry shop, very close to home and with many advantages — an opportunity I could not turn down.
At Venus I began to build my identity, developing a very Migue Señoris line of cakes and pastries. My time at Venus lasted three years, and there I was forging one of the great projects of my life: having my own pastry shop together with my wife Carmen.
Carmen had excellent training and experience in doughs and leavened pastry; she had trained at the French Pâtisserie Lambert and also held the higher diploma in pastry, trained at the guild of master confectioners of Valencia.
We were restless, young people with plenty of strength to forge our dream, so we took the plunge and created the Pastisseria Señoris project.
What sort of things did you do at Pastisseria Señoris? Did you swap one business for the other afterwards, or was there a time when you had nothing?
In the Señoris project there were no limits; creativity and the demands we placed on ourselves, both Carmen's and mine, were always very high.
Before long we started taking on a lot of work and bought premises to build a new workshop that would allow us to produce in line with our demand. Those premises are where Gelática Ice Concept is today.
The Señoris project lasted 15 years; during that time our twins Ángel and Lucía were born. Carmen and I had an important role as parents, and that made us rethink how we were living our children's childhood, because in these trades there are no set hours. That was when we considered handing over Pastisseria Señoris. After three years we found the people who decided to take over our project.
After that time I leaned towards teaching and began giving classes at the Pastry school of the confectioners' guild of Valencia, and Carmen decided to devote herself to the sale of and consultancy on pastry and bakery machinery at the company Bauuman, run by the Mico brothers (Valencia).
How was it at the pastry school in Valencia? Did you enjoy teaching? Why did you leave?
I have enjoyed and still enjoy teaching enormously; I have trained many young pastry chefs. In every class I have tried to pass on the values I understand in pastry: cleanliness, order and discipline.
Combining classes and training was making me neglect my teaching philosophy; it stopped being sustainable for me and I decided to take a breather and find myself again, so after the world ice cream championship I decided to leave the school.
I'll soon be returning to teaching with a new collaboration project with the FEGREPA school in Valencia, in their new and spectacular facilities. I'll initially be teaching three modules devoted to chocolate: a first level of miniatures, a second level of individual portions and a third level of family formats (both rustic and modern cakes). For now it will be pastry only, but there are plans to include ice cream modules later on, in which I would also take part.
02The championship in the world
Migue, how did you come to ice cream? Was it as a result of the world championship, or were you already doing things before?
My arrival in ice cream making begins in 2015. Already a teacher at the Pastry school of the confectioners' guild of Valencia, I got a call from Paco Torreblanca to join the Spanish team for the Coupe du Monde Lyon 2015. My job in Lyon was the ice sculpture, the ice cream cake and the chocolate cake.
That process is where my training in ice cream begins, with Mof Glacier Alain Chartier in France. Until then I had never had any connection with the discipline of ice cream making, beyond my first attempts with Angelo Corvitto's book and an ice cream machine more than 30 years old that we had at the school, hehe. Mof Glacier Alain Chartier taught me the block ice carving technique and I was trained in the formulation of ice creams and sorbets.
It has to be said that time was against us: I joined the Spanish team after a previous member dropped out, we were only six months away from the championship and that was an almost impossible amount of time to prepare a competition of this scale with any guarantees, but we tried anyway.
We trained at Paco Torreblanca's school and at the EPGB. It was at one of those training sessions that I met Mario Masiá (Spanish Ice Cream Champion and runner-up world champion of ice cream making 2016), who was doing a stage with the master and pastry world champion Emmanuele Forcone; there he offered to give me a hand with the ice cream cake. During the preparation period we were unable to meet the objectives needed to compete in the world championship with any guarantees, and it was decided, unanimously by all the team members, that we would withdraw from the championship.
What did you think when they wanted you on board for the 2018 world championship?
Before joining the Spanish Team for 2018, I took part as a pastry adviser with the 2016 team. Mario Masiá got in touch to ask me to collaborate on finishes, glazes and so on. There I met Adolfo Romero, Antonio Sirvent, Marc Piqué and Judit Comes, who were members of the 2016 team, and at the same time collaborators such as Félix Linares, Jordi Guillem and Paco Monllor.
Mario Masiá and I began working hand in hand on the decorative part of the cake and the ice cream coupe. That was as far as my relationship with the 2016 runner-up world champion team went.
One day I got a call from Adolfo Romero telling me he would like me to be part of the 2018 Team. I was left a little thoughtful because of the adrenaline rush of exposing myself again to a challenge like a world ice cream championship; it wasn't going to be easy and it required a mental, personal and financial effort, but I was willing to take it on because I had been left at the door of experiencing a world championship. It was the chance to get the thorn of the 2015 Coupe du Monde of Pastry out of my side.
What was the experience of competing in a world championship like? You did a fantastic job, runners-up — what a shame, so close.
It was a unique experience, the greatest show in the ice cream world: crowning everything lived through a year and a half of meetings, training courses and practice sessions where there were disappointments and joys, smiles and tears, rubbing shoulders with the best professionals in the world from other countries, where friendships already existed and others were being forged — MY TEAMMATES, AMAZING!!
From the first day of the championship to the last it was frantic, always up against the clock, but always capable and confident; that is what led us to brush against glory, one step from the top of the podium.
The best part, without a doubt, was the bond between us: A FAMILY.
From what Adolfo told us, you were a really tight-knit group at the championship; that must be hugely important when so much teamwork is required. I saw that Marc Piqué and Adolfo even gave you a nod in a masterclass with a cake called Gelática Ice Concept. Have they let you taste it? Hehe. I imagine a lifelong friendship comes out of this.
The truth is we were like brothers and we still are; we ended up accepting each other with our virtues and our flaws, we joined the professional side with the personal one.
We were like brothers and we still are. The best part, without a doubt, was the bond between us: a family.
As for the Gelática Ice Concept cake, it was a recipe published in the trade magazine Arte Heladero, where we made an ice cream cake called TERRER. Marc and Adolfo reworked it in their own way for a demonstration they gave at Gasma and named it after our ice cream shop. To tell you the truth, theirs turned out rather better than mine, haha.
How is it living and working together? Do you agree easily, hehe?
(Knowing laughter) We are completely different, we're always debating until we reach common ground, and from there everything starts to flow; we both have restless minds, each in our own way.
I'm super impulsive and Carmen is more rational; for me Carmen is the cornerstone that helps me manage my ADHD.
03Gelática Ice Concept
When and why did you decide you wanted to devote yourselves to ice cream rather than pastry and open Gelática?
About a year after the championship we decided to build our project, Gelática. We felt we couldn't keep the music inside; we felt the need to show people that you could work and enjoy your work at the same time. We had enough experience and the strength we needed to start out again. We spent a year and a half working on the project until it opened.
Something that amazes us is the design of Gelática Ice Concept. For anyone who doesn't know it, it's a design by Arqdeco that has also been awarded gold for the application of corporate identity and two silvers for best three-dimensional communication element and best image application in interior design. It's a super modern, daring design, never seen before in an ice cream shop; we think it's stunning… What was it like when they showed you this design? At what point did you settle on this one among all the options? How was the name chosen? What do people think of the place? Do they dare to come in? Hehe
Wow! It had nothing to do with what we had in mind. We were clear that the design had to be timeless, but they left us speechless; the Arqdeco team was very professional and got every detail right, we only changed a few small things.
When they showed us the leaves on the ceiling we clearly saw a jungle; the name Selvática immediately came to mind, we linked it to some "selváticos" chocolates from the Chocovic range whose packaging looked very much like the jungle we had on the ceiling. Shortly after settling on that name we found out there was an important ice cream shop in Barcelona with that name, Selvática, so we were forced to take up the naming project again and look for one suited to ours. From there Gelática Ice Concept was born, and we love it.
The atmosphere is very pleasant, it's a place where you breathe harmony. By day it has plenty of light and is very welcoming, and at night it feels like being in a warm, very intimate igloo; it really is a wonderful setting for enjoying good ice cream at any hour.
People visiting Gelática Ice Concept for the first time never stop being surprised: they look at the ceiling, at the cakes, at the ice creams, at our pastries, at our afternoon cakes. The aromas that wrap around them at that moment depending on what we're making: coffee, chocolate, grated citrus, cinnamon, vanilla, salted caramel, freshly baked croissant, and so on. They see us working in our workshop, complete transparency; that is a new universe for them, something different and fresh that gives them confidence.
You are not in a central area, so you have to earn and look after every customer who comes through Gelática. You have local produce as your common thread and you always use quality raw materials at a very affordable price. On top of that, your workshop is in full view, so there's no sleight of hand: what you see is what there is. What do customers make of this transparency and of the products you offer?
Our customers are wonderful, we are very grateful to our neighbours, our customers and, in the end, our friends. Loyal customers, already from our previous project, who missed the quality, service and freshness in everything they taste.
Every week we get new customers, a very varied public, all of them delightful, who find a unique and exclusive Gelática product. They are surprised to be able to talk to the masters as if they were in the kitchen at home; it's a joy for both Carmen and me to be able to convey what we feel about our work.
At Gelática the ice cream is eaten from glass, with a special spoon and a tea biscuit; that makes you unique and different from everyone else. Why did you decide to do it that way?
For us ice cream is a small luxury within everyone's reach, something that makes you happy. One of our mottos is "surround yourself with beauty whenever you can".
Surround yourself with beauty whenever you can.
First impressions play a hugely important role: serving a ten-out-of-ten ice cream, in a ten-out-of-ten container and on top of that with a tea biscuit made at Gelática Ice, is one of the best gifts you can give yourself, at a very reasonable price.
How do you usually work? Daily production, or do you make more to keep stock?
Our workshop is very small and production is limited, but that has its advantages, hehe. We work with fresh product, we don't stock ice cream; the only ice cream stock we have is what fits as backup in the display case. We churn daily, always depending on demand.
Set up your workshop at homeWhich machine do you need to get started at home?We compare compressor and frozen-bowl machines, with their pros and cons.See which machine you need →The ice cream cakes are the ones that fit in our cake case: exclusive goods with limited production; the afternoon cake is baked daily.
We don't rule out producing outside Gelática in the future and opening new business lines.
Gelática has been running since the end of August 2019, so you had the whole pandemic to live through right at the start. In spite of that, how is the shop doing?
Beginnings are always hard; even so, we have many tools at our disposal and we are very disciplined in our work.
We are clear that ice cream is eaten all year round; it's surprising to see customers taking fruit sorbet home in the middle of January.
We have Italian, Argentinian and Russian customers living in Valencia who have discovered good artisan ice cream all year round and are delighted. Customers from the neighbourhood who come on Sundays to buy ice cream as if they were buying cakes.
Seasonality does not exist at Gelática Ice Concept.
Visiting Valencia?Gelática is in El CabañalFind it, along with 74 other genuine ice cream shops, on our map.Open the map →Unlike what is usual in ice cream shops, you open all year round and I see you make winter flavours and combinations with pastries. Are customers receptive during the winter months? How do these formats work?
We have a pastry range designed so that every item can be enjoyed with one of our ice creams.
On our ice cream list there is always something new, depending on the season we're in; we try to combine more seasonal flavours with classics that, in our view, cannot be missing from a display case. That said, we always try to work with pure flavours.
04His ice creams
Which is your best-selling ice cream?
The truth is they all sell, there's no favourite; if we had to choose, the king would be the Coeur de Guanaja chocolate with caramelised cocoa nibs, as a classic the Mantecado or Bourbon Vanilla, and as a sorbet the Mandarin–Calamansi.
Which is your favourite ice cream?
Always the new one (knowing laughter). If I had to pick one, I'd choose Halo Galáctico (coconut-yuzu). Carmen is a big fan of Chocolate and Bronte Pistachio.
What is the strangest ice cream you have tasted?
Truffle ice cream; our team drew it in the Mystery box test. You either love it or you hate it.
05Cocktails, savoury and a recipe for the site
I see you also do cocktail nights, an unusual initiative for an ice cream shop. How is it being received?
It's an initiative we started to put in place when we opened and which, with the circumstances we've had because of the pandemic, we haven't been able to develop fully: it's still on our to-do list.
I've also seen select savoury recipes. What do you do on the savoury side?
The select savoury items only go on sale for 24 December, always to order and in limited quantities; for shop sales, however, we have fresh tostas that go straight out for breakfasts and afternoon snacks.
I'm thinking of giving up visiting your social media because I die of envy day after day, hehe. Allow me to say it: the ice cream cakes you make are absolutely stunning, I had never seen anything like it — perfect finishes, detail, delicacy, constant innovation; you have me completely won over. How do you achieve that perfection? How does the ice cream cake format work with customers? What is the most difficult creation you have made?
Thank you Sergio, they come with a great deal of effort, experience and dedication: it's pure technique.
Cakes are our workhorse, a little more each day; we have a lot of demand and we don't make enough because we're very short of time. A cake takes us three days: on the first day we prepare the inserts and sponges, on the second day the assembly of the cake with the ice creams, and on the third day the finish and decoration. Cakes usually fly out at the weekend, so on Tuesdays I have to get on with them so they're ready for the weekend.
The truth is they have been very successful; we have managed to position the ice cream cake as if it were a celebration cake. Any excuse is good enough to take a Migue Señoris cake home; people also order it to eat at Gelática, where it is portioned and plated.
They are completely different cakes: people are used to a classic ice cream cake and ours are genuine frozen architecture. Textures, flavours, presentation, all of it carefully thought out as a whole. Every month one goes and another arrives (a hard choice).
The most difficult creation we have made (thinking) — not difficult, perhaps more complex: it would be the last cake we created for issue 200 of the magazine Arte Heladero, which will stay in the Gelática Ice cake case for the whole of this season.
