La Centralita bringing Spain to Dove Street
Couple to host Spanish food classes, events
When Marcela Garces and Yuri Morejon first met, the thing that brought them together most was a love of food. Food, and its ability to transport and educate the eater to places and cultures beyond their own world, has been a continued theme in the couple’s life together. She is a professor of Spanish and co-director of the film studies minor program at Siena College, and he is a political scientist and communications consultant hailing from the Basque region of Spain. Spanish culture is a connection point for them, and they feel it is a way for them to connect with others, at home or abroad.
The idea to have a communal space where the curious could experience some of that culture has been a passion project for Garces and Morejon since 2014. Akin to the concept of a txoko (pronounced cho-ko, the Basque dining clubs popular throughout northern Spain), the duo set out to find a building in the Capital Region to facilitate this goal.
In November 2018, Garces and Morejon purchase 49 Dove St. in Albany, a historic brownstone that provided the basics of what they needed to open a Spanish-focused culinary and culture studio: A walkable location to mimic Spanish cities, a live-work building to allow for maximum focus on their goal and plenty of rich architecture to replicate the atmospheric grandeur they find when visiting Spain.
“It’s important to have a sense of place when you eat, and that’s what we wanted to create,” said Garces. A two-year renovation of the ground floor of their building resulted in La Centralita, a space for cooking classes, tastings, chef ’s table meals, and cultural immersions focused on
the cuisines of Spain.
While located in Albany’s Center Square neighborhood, the name La Centralita is the Spanish term for “switchboard,” a correlation that has multiple meanings for Morejon and Garces. Being in the middle of their block, the space is a hub for food-focused activity much like a switchboard is a central connection point for communications. The couple also collect vintage telephones, a hobby driven by Morejon’s family history of employment with Telefonica, the Spanish national telephone company, and his current work in the communications field. Telephones are a theme present throughout La Centralita, from the decor of the space to the business logo.
Upcoming events at La Centralita
focus on the basics of Spanish, especially Basque, cuisine and culture. A brunch
tasting correlates with a live televised Real Madrid - FC Barcelona soccer game. An olive oil
La Centralita
lacentralita.us; hola@lacentralita.us 518-818-9752
49 Dove St., Albany
and pintxos tasting (pintxos are the Basque country version of Spanish tapas) create a connection between the oil-producing areas of southern Spain and the classic appetizers and bar snacks of northern Spain. Wine tastings with wine expert and sommelier Krysta Dennis and Basque-style cheesecake baking classes bring tastes of Spain directly to La Centralita’s customers and students. Each event is limited to four to 10 attendees.
Garces said that La Centralita is a “pedagogical concept,” using
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food as a teaching tool to explain history and culture.
“I think there is a lot to learn about the rich gastronomy of Spain,” she said. One example she gives is the famed Gilda pintxo, which relies on Basquestyle pickled peppers, anchovies and briny olives skewered together on a pick that was created in homage to Rita Hayworth in the 1946 movie, “Gilda.” Using food and film to explain the cultural and political circumstances throughout Spain is part of La Centralita’s purpose. Each event at the studio is designed to be an immersive and participatory experience. Film clips, including from the 2017 documentary they produced called, “The Txoko Experience,” literature, music and hands-on cooking will be incorporated to deeply ingrain an understanding of the culture.
La Centralita houses a small market — called the mercado — consisting of select fine provisions from Spain. Morejon and Garces spent time over the past several years developing relationships with small food artisans to bring their goods to an American marketplace. Olive oil, chocolates, tinned fish and pantry items are currently available for online order and appointment-based pick-up, but the items offered are those frequently used in the cooking classes and tastings planned at La Centralita and attendees can purchase the items on-site to take home.
As an extension of the studio and mercado, Garces and Morejon offer consulting to businesses and artisans hoping to bring their products to the U.S.. “We know what it takes to build a Spanish pantry,” Garces said, and La Centralita consulting is geared to connect independent food producers of Spain’s most beloved ingredients to reach curious and passionate American customers. The consulting practice extends to menu consultations, as well.
Garces said that the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic make places like La Centralita critical to the well-being of wanderlusty travelers stuck at home. “There is this concept of terroir, where you have to go to a place to experience. (Projects like La Centralita) have the possibility to transport you,” she said. The incorporation of native Spanish materials — like the Moorish tiles popular throughout Spain — into the La Centralita studio evokes many of the sites and cultural touchstones found while traveling through the country.
“It is always neat to be open, and with new food, you take a risk. When you try new things and are open to a new culture, you are often surprised,” Garces said. Events begin at the end of this month, but people with a curiosity or passion for Spanish food are already flocking to La Centralita. Garces said that while she and Morejon have owned the building since 2018, they are now meeting other Spanish and Basque expatriates living in their neighborhood. Those encounters fuel and propel the spirit of connection, exploration and understanding that is deeply seated in La Centralita’s mission.
“Everything we have done has been an extension of the studio,” Garces said, “and has brought us closer to this goal.”