Rosamy and Jessica Morales are from Lanzarote their whole lives and always wanted to start a hospitality business together, the first, in charge of the paperwork, and the second, of the kitchen.
In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet of Radio Lanzarote, they explain how the opportunity arose to manage Pastelería Arjery, the effort they put into personalizing each client's cakes and how they managed to reach Madrid Fusión, considered by many, the most important gastronomic fair in the world.
- Where are they from?
Rosamy: we are from Lanzarote all our lives, although for work reasons of my father, we have lived in many places, on the peninsula and in Tenerife. We settled in Lanzarote since I was 7 and 8 years old, we are from Lanzarote.
- Did you always like pastry?
Jessica: I've always liked cooking and we wanted to start something together. Rosani handling the paperwork and me in the kitchen, we're a good team. I trained as a cook and pastry chef.
Rosamy: For many years we worked for others until the opportunity arose at the end of 2022 when a gentleman decided to transfer the pastry shop that was there before.
- What did you keep from the previous business and what innovations did you introduce when you took over the premises?
Jessica: We decided to offer courses, workshops, and training for people. Also to take care of the cake design, personalized for each client, with our touch to differentiate ourselves.
From the previous pastry shop, we keep, for example, the more classic service to hotels that the previous owner used to provide.
- What was the moment like when Saborea invited you to Madrid Fusión?
Jessica: I am very expressive, I jumped for joy. Then my sister is the one who brings me down and tells me, let's focus. She is calmer, she is the older sister.
- Did they give you any conditions for the proposal?
Jessica: Local product, we wanted to present something with sweet potato. It's true that we have the sweet potato wafer all year round, it's a tartlet that my sister makes fabulously and also, since it smells so good, when you walk past it, you grab one and eat it.
For Madrid Fusión we made a version with filo dough, cornstarch, flour, water and a good laminator and with our sweet potato filling and the truth is that it triumphed.
- A logistical challenge to get to Madrid with all the machinery in the suitcase and have it turn out the same…
Rosamy: What it cost us to close it, the suitcase weighed 24 kilos (Laughter).
Jessica: First we did a lot of tests in the bakery to see the speed, see how they turned out, how long in the oven, more of this, less of that…
- What would you say to people who think that only a privileged few attend the Saborea fairs?
Jessica: We don't have anyone's pull, even though we are rabbit farmers, I did the registration for Saborea and the truth is that when you have a good product with a good foundation behind it, you earn your place.
When Juan Betancort (director of Saborea Lanzarote and economic promotion technician of the Cabildo) told me: "Come, Jessica, we are going to talk." It was the first time I had seen him. I think if I had seen him on the street, I wouldn't have even known who he was. And now they call us and they have helped us to grow and get out of our comfort zone.
- Where is the pastry shop located and what are its hours?
Rosamy: We are at Góngora street 29. Our public service hours are from 8:00 to 15:00, but we start earlier and leave later, so there is no problem in serving earlier or later if you let us know.
