DANIEL ÁLVAREZ
between stories and experiences
TRADITION AND CREATIVITY
Pastry chef, specialized in doughs and owner of the Dalúa pastry shop in Elche (Alicante). Chef Daniel Álvarez has been for many years one of the references in signature pastry making and his pastry shop is a must-see temple. He offers a complete collection of daily pastries, bonbons, cold pies, travel and single cakes, and a great variety of packaged products.Chef Daniel Álvarez’s panettones are very vell-known, but they are also one of the reasons why he sells out all of his “high-confectionery” courses. Other best-selling products of his are the croissant and the mille-feuille, fragile works of art; and his famous handmade magdalenas.Chef Daniel Álvarez, pastry chef and chocolatier, is the fourth generation of confectioners from Murcia. His father and uncle started the family business, a pastry shop called “Los Murcianos”. Later, in 1985, his mom opened DALUA in Elche (Alicante), a high-quality and edgy-style pastry shop. It became popular very fast.His work with fermented doughs and puff pastry has crystallized into a monographic book, Sweet Devotion, una vision actual de la bollería artesana (a contemporary vision of artisan pastry).
DANIEL ÁLVAREZ
Between stories and experiences
TRADITION AND CREATIVITY
Pastry chef, specialized in doughs and owner of the Dalúa pastry shop in Elche (Alicante). Chef Daniel Álvarez has been for many years one of the references in signature pastry making and his pastry shop is a must-see temple. He offers a complete collection of daily pastries, bonbons, cold pies, travel and single cakes, and a great variety of packaged products.Chef Daniel Álvarez’s panettones are very vell-known, but they are also one of the reasons why he sells out all of his “high-confectionery” courses. Other best-selling products of his are the croissant and the mille-feuille, fragile works of art; and his famous handmade magdalenas.Chef Daniel Álvarez, pastry chef and chocolatier, is the fourth generation of confectioners from Murcia. His father and uncle started the family business, a pastry shop called “Los Murcianos”. Later, in 1985, his mom opened DALUA in Elche (Alicante), a high-quality and edgy-style pastry shop. It became popular very fast.His work with fermented doughs and puff pastry has crystallized into a monographic book, Sweet Devotion, una vision actual de la bollería artesana (a contemporary vision of artisan pastry).
INTERVIEW
¿What’s the story behind Dalua’s name?
In the 80s, the normal thing to do was name your business after the initials of the creator. In this case, my parents decided to use the initials of their children: DAniel,
LUisa and Arantxa. I remember that when they told us we thought it was an amazing idea because Dalua in Galician it means “De La Luna” (from the moon). That’s why the
moon is so present in our packaging.
¿What’s the dessert that you identify yourself with the
most and why?
Undoubtedly, I would say the mille feuille. Not because we invented it, obviously, but
because I think it’s one of the most popular desserts and I love the way we have brought it in and how we commercialize it.
Tell us a story about your muffins.
I would say that an amazing story is the tradition itself. My father already made them when he was young. Even before Dalua and, since then (approximately 50 years), we make them by hand every day, with the same ingredients and the same process.
Tell us the secret for making so many desserts and each
one of them is always the same as the one before.
It’s not such a secret… the difficult thing is to make that happen. We have an amazing team, it wouldn’t be the same without them, we work very hard, we always analyse the
details and we learn every day.
Tell us a funny story that has influenced your life.
I really love tattoos and a few years ago I decided that I wanted the croissant recipe in my back. I told the guy the recipe on the spot and, as it turns out… I MADE A MISTAKE! For the rest of my life. I could kind of fix it so it was just an anecdote.
A few years later, when we edited the Sweet Devotion book, someone called me a few days later… and you know what? I wrote the same exact recipe that I got tattooed on
my back! At least I could fix it this time in the second edition.
(Chef’s note: do not use the first recipe, it turns out so bad).
¿What do you think about online teaching?
The pastry world is always growing and I think that online classes can boost and diversify it.
¿What would you change about pastry?
I would try to put together all of the techniques and distribute it through social media to create a new day-to-day pastry: fresh products, seasonal, straight-out-of-the-oven (that’s something that’s forbidden nowadays in on-store pastry). For example, our clients consume frozen month-old complex and exotic elaborations and they might’ve never tasted a freshly made pastry cream… or freshly whipped cream.
¿What would you be if you weren’t pastry chef?
I really like graphic design. I would’ve also liked to be an outdoor activities instructor, and I would combine it with teaching which something that I really love doing.
let’s start!
Interview
¿What’s the story behind Dalua’s name?
In the 80s, the normal thing to do was name your business after the initials of the creator. In this case, my parents decided to use the initials of their children: DAniel,
LUisa and Arantxa. I remember that when they told us we thought it was an amazing idea because Dalua in Galician it means “De La Luna” (from the moon). That’s why the
moon is so present in our packaging.
¿What’s the dessert that you identify yourself with the
most and why?
Undoubtedly, I would say the mille feuille. Not because we invented it, obviously, but
because I think it’s one of the most popular desserts and I love the way we have brought it in and how we commercialize it.
Tell us a story about your muffins.
I would say that an amazing story is the tradition itself. My father already made them when he was young. Even before Dalua and, since then (approximately 50 years), we make them by hand every day, with the same ingredients and the same process.
Tell us the secret for making so many desserts and each
one of them is always the same as the one before.
It’s not such a secret… the difficult thing is to make that happen. We have an amazing team, it wouldn’t be the same without them, we work very hard, we always analyse the
details and we learn every day.
Tell us a funny story that has influenced your life.
I really love tattoos and a few years ago I decided that I wanted the croissant recipe in my back. I told the guy the recipe on the spot and, as it turns out… I MADE A MISTAKE! For the rest of my life. I could kind of fix it so it was just an anecdote.
A few years later, when we edited the Sweet Devotion book, someone called me a few days later… and you know what? I wrote the same exact recipe that I got tattooed on
my back! At least I could fix it this time in the second edition.
(Chef’s note: do not use the first recipe, it turns out so bad).
¿What do you think about online teaching?
The pastry world is always growing and I think that online classes can boost and diversify it.
¿What would you change about pastry?
I would try to put together all of the techniques and distribute it through social media to create a new day-to-day pastry: fresh products, seasonal, straight-out-of-the-oven (that’s something that’s forbidden nowadays in on-store pastry). For example, our clients consume frozen month-old complex and exotic elaborations and they might’ve never tasted a freshly made pastry cream… or freshly whipped cream.
¿What would you be if you weren’t pastry chef?
I really like graphic design. I would’ve also liked to be an outdoor activities instructor, and I would combine it with teaching which something that I really love doing.
Do you want to see the course that chef Daniel Álvarez is going to give in Bee Chef Pastry School?