The Mill House is one of those enclaves who manage to stun everyone who visits them, either by first or nth time. One of the many old mansions that inhabit the city of Valencia and surrounding towns such as Rocafort, Meliana, Alboraya, Godella or Foios.
Examples of this are the Castillo-Maria de San Fernando in the residential neighborhood of Campo-Olivar (Godella), the Villa Amparo in Rocafort, residence of the poet Antonio Machado and his family during the Spanish Civil War –specifically between November 1936 and April 1938–; wave Mill House, summer resort of Benlliure family during the first third of the 20th century. jewelry modernist style that have marked the architecture of an entire era and that, thanks to initiatives –whether public or private–, can once again be enjoyed as before.
It is on the latter where we will put all our attention. Located in Rocafort at number 57 Carrer Doctor José López Trigo, the Mill House reopens its doors After decades of deterioration and neglect, to shine brighter than ever. A long way to go with an eye on the past, present and future; that has only taken its first steps of everything that is yet to come.
A gastronomic, architectural, artistic journey, historical and cultural that predicts to be wonderful. This is only the beginning. Come and see.
Mill House, Rocafort.
THE RECOVERY OF A PALACETE WITH HISTORY
The main structure of this mansion located in the heart of Rocafort, it was built in 1893 –the garden area arrived a few years later–, almost at the same time as many other constructions that were built around the same date in the surrounding area. there were many wealthy people those between the end of the 19th and early 20th century, chose this town as the perfect destination to build their second home thanks to its prosperous land, to your leisure, tranquility and proximity to Valencia.
Family property Benlliure During the first half of the 20th century, in addition to being a home, it was also a meeting place where personalities of the stature of Joaquin Sorolla and Antonio Machado. A space to share knowledge, generate debate and establish relationships with writers, thinkers, artists, directors and bohemians of the time.
Mill House, Rocafort.
House-refuge of artists overflowing with culture during the Second Spanish Republic, and also some time later when it became the property of the William family. The last owner of her was Amparo Guillem, who turned her house into a school in the 1980s. When she passed away without issue, the residence fell into oblivion for decades. Until today.
At first they were Erick, Omar and Pilar those who fought to rebuild the Casa del Molino from the rubble. The entrepreneur from the world of communication Miguel Ygueravide would enter the scene some time later sharing the exploitation of the project with the rest.
“It all started in 2017. My son always played with a friend in front of the house and one day I told the person who is now one of the partners in this project that we couldn't let the house end up disappearing for that great state of abandonment in which he was. In the end we decided to sit down with Enrique Guillem (nephew of the late Amparo Guillem and last owner of the house) and his other two brothers, to negotiate a lease with the possibility of the right to purchase”, comments to Condé Nast Traveler Erick Pescador, a sociologist and sexologist by training, but very passionate about restoration and the world of art.
Julia and Miguel (daughter and father), at Casa del Molino, Rocafort.
“After a long search for agreement we signed the contract in June 2018 , a year after starting with the idea. In the end we achieved our goal: the Casa del Molino was ready to shine again”, he adds. Erick Pescador has been the partner in charge of coordinating and carrying out all the reform of the house.
What most caught his attention to decide that he had to intervene in this mansion, was his modernism. An architectural jewel of 1500m2 of plot and 500m2 of housing spread over several floors, different rooms with a mosaic floor – yes, the traditional and valuable pottery from Nolla–, a front viewpoint, a large rear terrace and several gardens that are distributed around the main structure.
Mill House, Rocafort.
added to all this the well with the windmill, whose official name of the project drinks from it. All one statement of intentions that combines past, present and future. “I love these types of buildings. Our great purpose? Fix it, beautify it again and give it light to be able to show it to all those people who love gastronomy, art, history and architecture”, Eric sentences.
An initial opening date, –April 2020– that, as we can already predict, was never met. The pandemic once again upsetting all our plans. The positive part? It was time to rethink the project to continue rehabilitating it, to make it beautiful.
It was in December 2020, when they entered the scene Miguel Ygueravide and his daughter Julia (current head chef at Casa del Molino). His knowledge of the hotel industry in the area and his long career in the publishing world and in different media, made him a a valuable asset at the time of joining the team.
After many ups and downs and setbacks, the Casa del Molino opened its doors in October 2021. In the words of Erick Pescador himself: “At the design level we have incorporated few elements decorative in such a way that it is the house itself that speaks for itself. What we have added has been a lot of art, care and restoration. And what does all this translate into?
ART, CARE AND GASTRONOMY
The Mill House is presented as a project in constant evolution sustained by basic pillars and initiatives that are modified and adapted according to the household needs and the public that visits it daily.
It's a showroom yoga or pilates center, book club, a place for all kinds of inaugurations, a meeting point, a cultural meeting point, presentations, workshops for the little ones, company breakfasts and –of course– a full-time restaurant with excellent product cuisine and a menu that changes with each season, based on local ingredients (let's not forget its prime location on l´Horta Nord From Valencia!). We are facing a project that can become everything we want at any time, with endless possibilities whose journey has only just begun.
As for the gastronomic part, it is in Julia Ygueravide Cañadas –daughter of Miguel Ygueravide, one of the main partners– on which we have to pay all our attention. She is the head chef and the one makes magic possible between the stoves of a very charming kitchen with the back and forth of the room service coming and going with endless orders.
"The kitchen we work with is a different proposal which is served here in Rocafort. Although I have been seven years in the hostelry Together with my father, we used to dedicate ourselves to a bar-cafeteria concept that is nothing like what we offer at Casa del Molino. A house with such legacy and history the culinary offer deserved to go up several rungs and in the end we have achieved it”, Julia tells Condé Nast Traveler.
Mill House, Rocafort.
"At all times we have sought affinity between textures and colors, with seasonal products that are the stars the day to day of l´Horta Nord”, adds Julia Ygueravide, head chef at Casa del Molino.
This is how the diner will be able to enjoy snacks that are as surprising as they are delicious, such as eggplant flatbread with smoked sea bass; cheek cannelloni with low-temperature Cabrales cheese and Porto sauce; braised tomato with smoked sardine or the oxtail wonton ravioli with caramelized onions.
Among those that are already considered hallmarks of the house in these months of experience, we have candied artichoke flower with honey with crispy ham, octopus leg braised with ajoarriero in black salt; the Iberian secret cooked at low temperature with a crispy finish in a Pedro Ximénez reduction; either sea bass with poor potatoes with homemade garlic. And for dessert? French toast with ice cream wins by a landslide in acceptance and demand. And no wonder!
Mill House, Rocafort.
Thursdays are cooked and on Fridays, baked rice, taking advantage of the previous day's cooked broth. And look at the rice and spoon proposals that are also starring in the dishes of the day, in these days where the cold refuses to leave to give way to the good weather of the long-awaited spring.
“We are going to send the letter changing by season since we are in a garden area and we can play with it, taking into account the acceptance of the dishes. For summer, as my grandmother was from Cadiz, there are dishes that I cannot stop preparing like bienmesabe (marinated dogfish) or shrimp pancakes that are so recurrent in the Cadiz cookbook”, says Julia.
AN ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY WITH A LOT TO TELL
And that's how known as the 'House of Horrors', It has begun to show off its solera and roll again. With a career that has only given the starting signal, there are many future plans around it. From preparing musical performances in the summer in the garden, launching a solid cocktail proposal, to offering a menu in constant evolution.
Mill House, Rocafort.
And of course, without forgetting the continuous rehabilitation of the farm; especially the backyard which is still pending a tune up and the great finish. In short, to gain space so that the greatest number of people can enjoy the Casa del Molino.
“This project translates into an authentic experience of tranquility and well-being that goes far beyond its gastronomy and that is why it differs from so many other places in Rocafort and Valencia. And above all because it is a spectacle to be able to be in a house with so much history and in such a privileged garden with those views in the middle of a town. A sheltered oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle, where disconnect in an amazing way”, recognizes Erick Pescador.
Leaving Valencia for a few hours had never been so rewarding. Word.