The History of Hotel Sauce
Mi MERMELADA favorita
Sabina and Antonio
Our maternal grandmother Sabina travelled from a small village in Guipúzcoa to work in a hotel in Zaragoza, where she met Antonio, a native of Huesca. In the 1950s, they built together one of the most popular hospitality businesses in the city.
Remedios and Miguel
When our paternal grandparents closed their grocery store in a small town in Burgos, they decided to search for new opportunities for their children and emigrated to Zaragoza, where they opened a hardware store and a small winery.
Carmen and Luis
Carmen and Luis, our parents, also met in Saragossa. The hands-on-experience in the hospitality business that our mother acquired from grandma Sabina, and the courage and entrepreneurial spirit that our father inherited from Remedios and Miguel, were blended together and they started the Sauce adventure.
Here comes the modern era of Hotel Sauce:
The Fernández de la Rúa.
It was love at first sight, as we like to remember, – especially Luis -. It was the spring of 2003, a woman from Madrid and a man from Zaragoza were studying an Erasmus Scholarship in Sweden.
Almost a decade later, Luisito, our first child (Spice Tom) and later on Eugenia (La Gran Tatita), were born. Together we formed a new family, The Fernández de la Rúa or we also can say, The De la Rúa Fernández. We went to live in Zaragoza willing to continue with the family business – Hotel Sauce- and at the same time we undertook the renovation of the hotel cafeteria with a new project: Mi HABITACIÓN favorita.
Since mid-2013, one of our key goals is to continuously train ourselves – slowly but steadily- to surprise our customers and friends with new products.
Pursuing his dream of roasting our own coffee, -Luis´ favourite passion-. Plus, once Laura had finished her studies at Le Cordon Bleu, – she spent 3 years travelling to Madrid, committed and striving for her family-, the pastry shop opened its doors.
At 2015 Christmas, in the midst of this adventure, we came up with the idea of cooking our own jams for the hotel breakfasts. Nearly two years later, our slow-cooked project – Mi MERMELADA favorita – became a reality.
Mi MERMELADA favorita
Each recipe is a tribute to the heroes who live with us
Believing so strongly that we live surrounded by little heroes is really inspiring. These are not distant heroes like those who appear on television or on Wikipedia, but close heroes we share our daily lives with.
Heroes who struggled and emigrated in search of a better future, but who never lost their smile and good sense of humour. Everyday heroes who at the age of 2 fill the living room of our homes with a special energy with their stuffed animals. Heroes who ensure that a sweet treat is never missing from a family meal. Heroes who turn their return home after a long work trip into a magical moment. Heroes full of vitality who jump on the living room sofa tirelessly or They take care of their children with love and dedication. And also, everyday heroes who look forward to fulfilling their dreams with passion.
We elaborate our jams following their principles of love and honesty, since this is the best way to pay homage to them. We hope you enjoy them, give them as gifts, and share them with friends and family, this is to say, with your everyday heroes.
Awarded at The World’s Marmalade Awards!
ORIGINAL, TRADITIONAL AND ARTISAN
Why are our jams so special?
Unique Creations
Recipes created with accuracy and care to highlight the best of each fruit in unique combinations.
Aroma, Flavour and Texture
Fruit, fruit, fruit. There is nothing more delicious than the aroma and wonderful flavour of fruit.
Excellent
Since 2018, our jams have been awarded with 12 medals in ‘The World’s Marmalade Awards’ contest, the most prestigious Awards for citrus jams in the world.
Good Fruit Quality
Best quality and always seasonal fruit. Citrus without fungicides or waxes to enjoy its delicious skin.
Best Ingredients
We do only add the best ingredients to the fruit: Bourbon Vanilla, Fresh Cloves, 7-year-old Cuban Cane Rum, Sherry Brandi, Artisan Vermouth etc.
Sugar, just the right amount
We add the exact amount of sugar that each fruit needs to shine in all its splendour and remain in optimal conditions, no less.
Manual Processing
It allows us to control the entire manufacturing process and discard all the pieces that are not in perfect condition.
Traditional Cooking
In an open cauldron, as tradition dictates, this is how the fruit is cooked best. Try the taste of our authentic jams!
Limited Production
We produce a very limited quantity, between 500 and 2000 jars of each variety per year.
Why Willow Tree?
You may wonder why a willow tree gives our hotel its name. It all goes back to my mother´s childhood. She used to enjoy her summertime holidays in a farmhouse that my grandparents owned in Zegama, – a small village of Guipúzcoa, very close to San Sebastián-. My mother fondly remembers that beautiful weeping willow tree with long yellow evergreen leaves and long branches, which occupied a relevant place in the garden of that farmhouse. My mother told me that it was her favourite tree.
I remember considering another name at that time, Hotel Altamira. This was the name of my grandparent´s house mentioned before, but it was discarded since it was already registered for another hotel in the Basque Country. Some other names that we thought of were Hotel El Camino or Hotel Costa as a homage to Joaquín Costa. In the end, Sauce was the last choice.
As many of you may know, `Willow Tree´ both in English and French translates as ‘sauce’. This is the reason why so any guests showing a smile on their faces tell us: ‘what a funny name this is’ . It was not at all done on purpose, and without noticing it in the beginning, eventually our name distinguishes us, makes us peculiar, and draws attention among our many foreign guests.
It is also worth knowing that when the hotel was inaugurated, the paintings in all the rooms were made by our friend and painter Alberto Labad. These paintings are very colourful and the themes depicted are mainly landscapes and characters of geometric shapes.
This artist really appreciated our family and therefore, he dedicated a large painting to my mother that decorates the wall of the hotel living room: a girl leaning out of a window contemplating a small willow tree. My mother is very fond of this painting, and it is curious, it is the only representation of a willow tree that you may find in the hotel.
