The recipe for success

Let’s see, some clues: its main ingredients are flour, butter, milk and cinnamon! They may seem to come from an American recipe, but they were actually invented in Europe, specifically in Sweden, where they even have their own national day every October 4. And they are more than 100 years old, although the ones we are going to taste today are made from scratch every day. What are they? Madre Mia’s cinnamon rolls! A small business located on the first floor of the Nuestra Señora de África Market, very close to the fish market, and dedicated to the most original and modern confectionery, with 100% handmade sweets.

The story of the Venezuelan couple who founded Madre Mía Rolls is a curious one: one day they decided to invest in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, basically for a change of scenery and to get out of unemployment. They studied several business options and found that there was no cinnamon roll offer like the one they wanted to install in Tenerife. But… what about the lawsuit? Well, judging by the success, there was! And yet the beginnings were complicated because they started a few days before the outbreak of the pandemic and therefore the confinement. But boy, have they made up for lost time. The lines of people waiting to try their favorite cinnamon roll are as constant as the cinnamon aroma emanating from the place.

Katherina and Carlos Alberto, the owners, say that the ovens are turned on at 4:00 a.m. and that they can produce more than 1,000 rolls a day. More than 1,000! They are available in various sizes and flavors. There are savory ones, with cheese as the star ingredient. One of the most popular is the Venezuelan version of cinnamon rolls, an explosion of flavors that includes fresh cheese inside, with cane sugar, cinnamon and more fresh cheese on top.

And of course the sweet options are varied and original: with apple pie, cheesecake, amarena cherries, pistachio, chocolate, cookies, strawberries… and countless other ingredients. Madre Mía also boasts of preparing them with the customers, because it is the consumer who ultimately chooses, just before serving, the toppings of the roll or rolls to be taken, i.e. those small elements that are added to the product to make it irresistible.

All we have to do now is find the corner of the Nuestra Señora de África Market where Madre Mía is located and let ourselves be seduced by its flavors. And one more note, also in the Market there is already ¡Madre Mía Fish! An extension of the business driven by Katherina and Carlos Alberto who, with the same enthusiasm and love for gastronomy, have opened a stall very close to the fishmonger’s, but in this case to offer dishes made with fresh seafood. Enjoy!