To introduce you to our heroine, I must tell you a magical story..... The avocado story! Shortly before I moved to Barcelona, I changed my Instagram handle to @avocado_kat, because before my name was hard to read and I wanted something as simple and clear as possible. For the first two months after we moved, we lived in Sant Cugat (a suburb) and went to Barcelona once a week. That's how I found "A Vocados"! What else would I be looking for in a city I knew nothing about? All I wanted was a delicious avocado. And I got it!
I saw Julia on my very first visit to a restaurant, but it wasn't until six months later that I met her! It was at "A Vocados" restaurant that I met Katya @katrin_keso and it was then that Amor Barcelona was born! And it turns out that she and Julia are friends. And that's how this talented, relaxed and charming girl came into my life. And we were undoubtedly connected by avocados :) Julia also recently got the cutest little dachshund. And guess what his name is? That's right! AVO! We spoke to Julia about her restaurant business and Barcelona.
Julia
Lives in Catalonia for 9 years
Tell us about yourself and how you ended up in Barcelon
My acquaintance with Spain did not begin in Barcelona. After graduating from the Institute of Tour Business in Ukraine (Donetsk), I came to Spain, to Sitges, for an internship. After the internship and a year of waiting for documents to start working, I went straight to the city of dreams, Barcelona, where I saw more opportunities for myself. Now I've been in Barcelona for almost 8 years and it feels like I arrived yesterday :) I am in the restaurant business, I am the founder and owner of the "A Vocados" brand and co-founder of the "A Vocados" restaurants.
Tell us about "A Vocados". How did you come up with the idea of starting a restaurant business in Barcelona?
The idea to start a restaurant came from my love for avocados :) I used to buy avocados for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We used to love going to a corner shop near our house for avocado toast for breakfast, but it closed. After that, we started talking about having our own corner shop with delicious food. The idea quickly took shape. I thought it was easy and why not make it a reality. Then the breakfast idea grew into the idea of a full restaurant. And before we knew it, we had started renovating the first "A Vocados". Ideas for the food came from our travels and Pinterest. We also did the interior ourselves, our trademark being the ceilings with lots of plants and big light bulbs.
Tell me about the title and concept?
I took the name very seriously, remembering the old saying: "What you name the ship, so it will sail". I was also very inspired by names that had a play on words. So one of the partners suggested the name "A Vocados" (A bocados means 'to bite' in Spanish). The concept was simple - healthy food for everyone, perfect for friends, dates, birthday parties and just a snack at work. Food that is not overloaded with meaning, but made with quality and fresh produce. Our menu has a lot of avocado dishes, because this fruit is easy to combine with vegetables, fish and even meat.
How has "A Vocados" been affected by the quarantine?
The restaurant business was in a very bad state. We had to close all the restaurants and wait for news. In fact, we are going through a difficult time now, like all restaurants, because we have not stopped paying rent and bills. At the moment we are only open in the Gracia area and we are setting up a home delivery service. We hope to open our new restaurant in a week's time, which we didn't have time to open before the quarantine. It has a big terrace, and this is the first thing that restaurants in Barcelona are allowed to do: serve customers on the terrace.
The financial losses we have suffered are very high and it is estimated that we will have to operate without a profit for the next year, if all goes well. The state has left us to fend for ourselves and has only helped our staff by paying them 70% of their full salaries. Other than that, we have received no help from the state, even though tourism and catering are the leading industries in Barcelona.
Tell us about your menu...
Most of the dishes on our menu contain avocado, but our aim is more than that. Our concept is a mix of quality and healthy food for all tastes and all occasions. We are now adding new dishes for people with food intolerances such as gluten and lactose. The most popular dishes are Avocado Pizza, Poke Bowl with salmon, avocado and rice or quinoa, Truffle Pizza and for dessert Avocake (base - cereal and dried fruit covered with avocado mousse and coconut cream). And of course, Nutella pizza!
Is it possible to order your meals at home?
At the moment we are open Wednesday to Sunday from 19:30 to 23:30. We do takeaway and home delivery. Home delivery can be booked by phone or Watsapp. Phone for bookings and home delivery (+34) 656 53 08 33 We also work with the Globo and Uber eats apps.
How has Barcelona changed in these 8 years?
Barcelona has changed a lot in the time I've lived here. Every year it becomes more international: you can meet people from all over the world. Barcelonans are becoming more environmentally and nutritionally aware. In general, for me it's a big village, everyone says hello to each other, even when I'm walking my dog I can have a nice chat with everyone while our dogs are playing.
How long have you been assimilated? Do you feel at home here?
Oyyyyy, now it feels like home, but to tell you the truth I feel at home in many places, I am very impressionable and every time I travel I imagine life in this country and who I could be. But my adaptation has been long. I came with my samovar))) After such a long time, I am happy to see the advantages of the Spanish mentality. This is where I learnt what it means to start from scratch, to appreciate everything that happens, to find the good in seemingly terrible situations. This is where I grew up and learnt to take real responsibility for myself. This sunny country taught me to love everyone and everything. To accept everything that comes my way. And here I became calm, at some point I had to grow up and in every unclear situation I count to a hundred and analyse, hahaha. And my work helps me to accept people as they are - with their advantages and disadvantages.
BARCELONA IN A WORD OR PHRASE
Barcelona for me....is a young girl - beautiful, elegant, well-mannered, with a lot of potential, but whose teachers (politicians) are not letting her reach her full potential.
