The story behind ‘La Favorita 1922’: the ‘Marquise’ that challenged the kitchen rules

By leafing through some old Spanish recipe book, it is very likely that some have met the name of the Marquise of Parabere in its pages. Sounds aristocratic. It is a noble title that evokes great salons, but in reality it was Marquesa. Maria Mesotayer of … Echagüe hid under that pseudonym to write his kitchen books. Since childhood, the world of good table fascinated her. In his house there was talk of recipes with the same seriousness with which others debated politics. His father, a great kitchen fan, used to receive French chefs at home, and Maria, instead of playing with dolls, entertained himself listening to his culinary secrets. Despite responding to the life he was called to live at that time, which was none other than marrying a young man like her, this woman did not abandon the kitchen at any time. In a world dominated by men, where the great culinary references were masculine, this woman showed that the kitchen could also have a strong female voice and at the same level as that of men. He founded the Parabere restaurant in Madrid, a luxury place where dishes made with an exceptional mastery in which he applied their knowledge and where people tasted dishes such as orange duck, the Wellington sirloin or its mythical croquettes.

His passion for the stoves in an environment like Madrid in the 20s has served Bamboo Producciones to create ‘La Favorita 1922’, the new Telecinco era drama that opens this Monday at 23.00 and that recounts the life of this woman, but from a very different point of view, despite the fact that the kitchen is another protagonist. «It is a series of brave women who take their destiny in their hand and make it their own. They are not willing to give up their dreams and along the way there are men who help you get it even if others put sticks on the wheels, ”acknowledges Josep Cister, creator of the series.

The series starts with the flight of this ‘Marquise’, in the series called Elena de Valmonte, and its faithful Cecilia maid after an incident and reinvent themselves in Madrid. Their passion for the kitchen leads them to open ‘The favorite bistro’, A restaurant that seeks to become the best in the city. Next to a team of talented women. Between stoves and shared secrets, they discover the love and strength of friendship, but also that success requires more than talent and desire. «We knew that there was a very current story here, although it was something past and the Marquise of Parabere was a great inspiration to create the story. After 17 years we return to Telecinco. The one who follows it achieves it, ”adds Ramón Campos, CEO of bamboo. It is the first production that Bambú Producciones makes with Telecinco since Bambú Producciones was born.

Verónica Sánchez is the actress who plays this Marquise de Parabere. “It has been a gift,” he acknowledged. They have been nine months of work and filming to create two seasons. “We believe a lot in the project,” recognized Ghislain Barrois, responsible for fiction of Mediaset. For Luis Fernández, this project has been more bearable thanks to Sánchez: “I think she is the best companion I have ever had.” Elena de Valmonte is not alone in this adventure, but is surrounded by a series of very different women who will help him in this mission: carry out the restaurant and enhance the beauty of Spanish gastronomy. «What are stories for us is a gift, especially for which we have 50. It is shown that we have life, that we fall in love. Sometimes it seems that we become invisible and in the series, on the other hand, there are women of all ages, ”said actress Maribel Salas, who plays one of these women and thanked at the same time working with young people who have a” necessary passion “so that people get hooked to the series.

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