2024-02-05 17:25:00
Esteban Pervanas and Cecilia Cirer they head the family business named Don Costa, with a long history in Chos Malal. Esteban started with an artisanal ice cream shop. Then he moved forward with an inn. Today they have a pastry shop, restaurant and juice factory.
“We have the juice factory, an ice cream parlor and pastry shop on 234 Sarmiento Street. The inn is located right there. We also developed a cafeteria with a pastry shop. In another location we set up the tea house. The restaurant is on Las Flores and La Rioja avenues, where the juice factory also operates,” explains Cecilia, who does not seem to have a specific function defined; however, she is largely responsible for the operation of this entire display linked to the production of food.
The story begins more or less like this. In January 1987, the Don Costa ice cream parlor opened its doors.in the heart of Chos Malal. The one who still makes and sells the ice cream today is Esteban, known as “the Greek”, because of his place of origin.
Esteban dedicated himself to making artisanal ice cream and classic dishes. that were served in the restaurant at that time. With great vision he built a small inn with 15 rooms on the site.
The ice cream shop
The ice cream parlor is recognized throughout the northern area of the province of Neuquén. It has more than 50 flavors. For its preparation, They use top quality raw materials and various products from the region.
Estebanin his infancy, In Greece and with their family of origin they were great consumers of ice cream and the classic Greek yogurt. As he remembers, when he was 10 years old he had already bought a small manual machine for the home that was refrigerated with ice and made 1 kilo ice cream for personal consumption, for friends and family.
When he arrived in Argentinaof a teenager, He was a fan of electronics and refrigeration. At the age of 14 he built his first radio and television for the house. He then leaned towards refrigeration as a profession. This always kept him close to the ice cream field, preparing cameras, refrigerators, and cold equipment. From Buenos Aires he moved to the south of the country. He lived for a few years in San Martín de los Andes.
When visiting the northern zone he met and He chose to settle in Chos Malal. Delighted by the place and the weather conditions, following several trainings he decided to set up the ice cream parlor in that city, with artisanal quality and noble fruits.
“All our tastes have been chosen to satisfy the palates of our people. We have more than 50 flavors, for which we use local products. Seasonal fruits, red fruits, milk sweets and other imported ones such as Italian pasta and cocoa. We always focus on maintaining the quality of raw materialswhich results in a quality product, perhaps that is why our flavors are special,” Cecilia shares some production secrets.
Gastronomic family
Accompanied by his family, his partner Cecilia and his children Constantino, Yvonne and Helenio, following a few years expanded the proposal, always in the field of gastronomic and hotel service. Attentive to the needs of the area, they moved forward with the construction of the hotel and an event hall with a capacity for 500 people.
The restaurant is run by one of his sons, Constantino. This space offers traditional cuisine, which reflects, in the aroma of the proposals, the cultural landscapes of the northern area.
Fresli natural juices
During the time that lasted pandemic several projects were developed. One of them was the natural juice factory run by Helenio. Always with the accompaniment of his family, they put together Fresli.
Helenio saw the growth of the company that aims to bring a healthy and natural product to the tables of the people of his community, using fine fruit from producers in Patagonia. So far they have developed 5 varieties: lemonade with mint and ginger, lemon with matcha (Japanese green tea with many health benefits), peach, carrot, red fruits and blueberries.
“Fresli, seeks to be a healthy product more on the family table, since it is food without preservatives, without colorings, without flavorings and even has no added sugar. It is packaged in glass bottles for Do not pollute the environment. They began to be sold in our stores and for some time now they can be found in supermarkets, health food stores, boutique stores, cafes and more. At this moment we are processing a national authorization to be able to market throughout the country,” Cecilia said.
French-style cafe and pastry shop
With the enthusiasm that characterizes this family and the desire to generate new quality food proposals for the northern region, the Pervanas They ventured into specialty cafeterias, pastries and French-style bakeries. and opened two new stores.
Don Costa Cafetería is located on General Paz Street 337. It has an internal patio full of plants and a pergola in front to enjoy breakfast or brunch on the sidewalk. Recently They opened Don Costa Pastry Shop on 37 Jujuy Street, which is run by Yvonne.
Graduated in Madrid as a pastry chef at the Le Cordon Blue school, she is in charge of this French-style pastry shop, where loose tea and coffee specialties are offered.
The origin of success
“Don Costa’s success was hand in hand with Constant workhours and hours of work, the dedication we put into improving day by day and maintain above all things the quality of our products that make a difference and make them chosen by our clients,” says Cecilia.
In relation to the growth of the project, Cecilia remembers the family construction recipes. “We were always very close. Since we were little, Constantino, Yvonne and Helenio were close to us, accompanying us. That’s how they got involved little by little with the work and we were able to continue growing so that they have their own space, since they were always comfortable with what they did,” he remembers.
In continuous search and growth
In love with the north of the province of Neuquén, the producing family expands its desire for growth. The natural environmental conditions of the region promote the desire to continue investing in local development.
“The future project would be to become self-sufficient in some primary products, such as milk and fruits. We would like to be able to buy some hectares for production that would allow us to prepare fruit pastes, set up the organic garden and of course have a small dairy. In addition, we are working on a new proposal for tourism in northern Neuquén to grow, promoting it in different provinces and countries. They are experience packages, in connection with friendly ventures, so that the tourist can learn regarding the culture and gastronomy of the area that makes us so unique,” Cirer projects.
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