Puntos de vista - a personal Spain blog

By Pablo de Ronda

On the day on which an enterprising young man from Montejaque (Málaga) opened a new bar restaurant in the premises of a long-standing bar in the village which closed down for good a few weeks ago, Pablo de Ronda revisits an article he wrote for a local website on the subject of youngsters taking the bull by the horns to combat the devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on their lives and work opportunities.

Today, the last day of April 2022, I attended the opening of Bar Restaurante El Patio in Montejaque in the Serrania de Ronda, Malaga province.

The enterprising young man behind the re-opening of the former Bar El Patio de Frasquito Pedro is Jacinto, aged 29.

I’ve known Jacinto for three years or so. Displaced back to his home village by the Coronavirus pandemic he drifted from waiting at tables to construction. He even had a spell working in Germany.

With a degree in mechanical engineering, being a bar owner was not what Jacinto planned to do with his life, but the Coronavirus pandemic changed his perspective.

The re-furbished establishment is in a good spot in the village. Its unique selling point (USP) is the large, secluded patio out the back.

At the opening today, dad Jacinto was helping behind the bar, as they were doing a brisk trade.

From my point of view the re-opening of El Patio under new management is a welcome addition to the hospitality on offer in the village.

So, we can add Jacinto to the fairly long list of young entrepreneurs that I know of in the northern Serranía de Ronda.

18 months ago I wrote an article on the subject for local website www.secretserrania.com. I have revised and updated it here:

The Young Entrepreneurs of the Serranía de Ronda II
30 April 2022

There is a new phenomenon taking place in the Serranía de Ronda. The increase in the number of very young entrepreneurs.

In Ronda, for example, there is 30-year-old Borja, who runs the largest laundry in the town, Lavandería Lavinsur. Two years ago he was on the point of buying a share of one of the biggest laundries in Extremadura, but unfortunately that fell through.  Back then he was also the sole distributor in the Serranía de Ronda of the products of Aqualai, a Spanish national company that specialises in water treatment. At that time he also had an interest in two local hotels, Ronda Moments and Ronda Valley. The guy has energy!

Also in Ronda the Badman Wines is rapidly making a name for itself. Having already attained the Denominación de Origen appellation after three years, Sinbad and Manuel (hence the name Badman), both in their early 30s, have plans to expand their operation even further. Coincidentally, their bodega is over my back fence, with the result that I get to taste their wines from time to time. Mmmm!

Thirdly in the so-called Ciudad Soñada (City of Dreams) is Omar, a young Italian, who started the Pizzería Ristorante Il Forno a Legna at the tender age of 23. He even built his own pizza oven. Six years on his restaurant, located on Calle Nueva, is one of the leading Italian establishments in Ronda, currently at number four on TripAdvisor.

In Montejaque, a white village of just under 1,000 inhabitants, there are several young people who have established successful businesses.

Umberto, still in his twenties, has created Secret Paradise, where guests can enjoy extraordinary food and fine wines on his charming  finca outside of the village. In the middle of the campo, the farm is also a small zoo with a deer, some goats, a ferret, several birds of prey and other domesticated animals.

José Manuel is a partner-cum-franchise-holder at the Covirán supermarket and is the youngest shopkeeper in the village at 35 years old. He wants to be a success. That is why his store is open every day from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm, and if something you need is not in his shop he will get it for you as soon as possible. He has also acquired a number of properties in the village which he plans to develop into holiday rentals.

But it is not just men who are contributing to this phenomenon. Vanesa, married with a young son,  is only 35 years old. Around the time of the start of the pandemic she opened a beauty salon, Vanesa Estética, where she takes care of the hands and feet of the local populace.

Borja, Cayetano and Rubén, three Montejaqueño friends in their twenties, were displaced from the hospitality industry on the coast. They decided to start an open-air chill-out bar with music and food just outside the village. In the middle of beautiful scenery is La Terraza, popular with all ages. They serve delicious tapas and raciones in a spectacular setting. It was an immediate success. However, because of the climate in the montains they had  to close for the winter. What to do?

Well, they took over a bar that had been closed for years and that place, also called La Terraza, is a big success. Rubén, 35, is a trained chef and has designed a sumptuous menu. It is currently our favourite eatery in the village.

Younger brother Borja, 30, takes care of front-of-house, alongside their pal Cayetano, 28.

We must not forget Juan, our builder, who has just finished a superb renovation of our house, Casa Rita.  He started his company five years ago at the age of 31. Raised in Germany Juan has adopted many Germanic characteristics and produces work of a very high quality. He already has a great reputation in the area. His company is called Reformas y Multiservicios Juan Tornay.

But the youngest of all our entrepreneurs is the admirable Javi, who was just 20, when he opened Bar Nazarí two years ago. In the heart of Montejaque, with good music, tapas and a lot of atmosphere, it could be the bar of the future in this village.

FactFile:

Badman Wines, Partido Rural Fuente de la Higuera, 11, 29400 Ronda                      Tel: 696 63 39 60

Lavandería Lavinsur, Calle Majaceite, 4, 29400 Ronda                                               Tel: 658 41 79 56

Hotel Ronda Valley, Ctra de Sevilla, km 26, 29400 Ronda                                          Tel: 641 46 13 34

Hotel Ronda Moments, Partida los Morales, 28, 29400 Ronda, Málaga                     Tel: 665 82 78 62

Ristorante Il Forno a Legna, Calle Nueva 4, 29400 Ronda                                         Tel: 951 46 87 38

Bar Restaurante El Patio, Calle Nueva, 29360 Montejaque

Secret Paradise, Montejaque                                                                                       Tel: 628 38 69 03

Coviran, Calle Padre Antonio Díaz Romero 2, 29360 Montejaque.                             Tel: 698 95 82 43

Vanesa Estética, C/ Carnero, 29360 Montejaque                                                        Tel: 696 24 56 36

Bar Restaurante La Terraza, Bda. Santiago, 43, 29360 Montejaque                           Tel: 697 73 61 99

Reformas y Multiservicios Juan Tornay, Avda. Knittlingen 4, 29360 Montejaque         Tel: 695 35 59 40

Pub Nazarí, C. Jose Vazquez Calle, 1, 29360 Montejaque                                          Tel: 633 23 03 78

Nota:

Para leer la versión original en castellano de septiembre 2020, haz clic aquí.

Once, back in the Dark Ages, when I had an after-school detention, I was told to write an essay entitled "Mud".

What? I thought the teacher was taking the p**s - he wasn't!

That was 60 years ago and I can no longer recall what I wrote, but I know I found it difficult at the time.

If that were now, however, March 2022, I would have had plenty to write about, what with all the Saharan barro that has been deposited on us, our houses, our cars, our streets, our gardens and all the produce growing there.

Elderly locals say they've never seen anything like it.

On the first dry day, nearly all the neighbours were outside with their Kaerchers and hoses washing their houses down. "If you don't get it off before it dries, you'll never remove it," said one solemnly.

Local house painters, Emilio and Miguel, are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of all the work repainting houses that they're going to get this coming summer. One wag suggested I should come out of retirement and set up as a house painter.

No chance - I'm far too busy!