Marcelo Cadena poses in front of Cadena Restaurant. Photo courtesy of Marcelo Cadena.
When Marcelo Cadena’s sister offered to sell her café to him, he said he had a vision to take the business in a different direction.
“I got interested on that, but I had a different idea of what the place was,” said Marcelo, adding his hope was to transform the café into a restaurant.
Marcelo said he and his business partner decided to make it a tapas restaurant—one that serves smaller Spanish-style savoury dishes—but with a twist. They would combine Spanish and Latin American cuisine.
“My heritage is from Ecuador, and my family live in Spain, and have as well heritage from Spain,” Marcelo said.
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Recalling family members who prepared fresh homemade food, Marcelo said he wanted to make the restaurant one that prepares all dishes from scratch.
“We cut our own calamari, we cut our own potatoes, our own zucchini, we do our own sauces, and you can taste the freshness of that,” he said.
From there, Cadena Restaurant opened in Westboro Village in March, and stories are already emerging about loyal customers heading there from the original Cadena—his sister’s café in Sandy Hill. It is not Marcelo’s first foray into the restaurant business; he said he has worked for several restaurants over the span of many years.
Pictured is Cadena Restaurant’s traditional Spanish paella. Photo courtesy of Marcelo Cadena.
“I love this business. I know how to prepare food. I know how to deal with people,” he said, emphasizing the last skill.
Working with his customers, Marcelo said he tries to remember what his parents taught him: “Be with the people, be for the people.” His mother, Adela, used to say if there was another guest in the house, adding an extra cup of water to the soup won’t compromise it in order to feed more people.
She also taught Marcelo how to cook. “Pretty much everybody in the family knows how to cook, and has a good taste of food. I’m a big foodie as well. I like to go out and try different places,” he said.
Marcelo’s mother’s influence on the restaurant can be found throughout Cadena Restaurant. A corner of the restaurant was dubbed “Adela’s corner” to honour her, and she inspired many dishes on the menu, such as the ceviche and an entree called “Adela’s platter,” consisting of one’s choice of meat along with rice, potatoes, and Spanish salad.
Pictured is the interior of Cadena Restaurant. Photo courtesy of Marcelo Cadena.
“It’s a traditional dish that we used to have back home, and is a staple of Ecuador,” Marcelo said. “That was something that we used to have pretty much at least once a week at home.”
Marcelo said he has been happy with how Cadena Restaurant has been received.
“At the beginning it was a little bit of a challenge, but also being afraid of how it’s going to turn out… But it’s been a success. I’m happy that we did that, and hopefully we will continue growing the business for a long time,” he said.
“I want to welcome everyone, I want to welcome the people here in the neighborhood of Westboro,” he said. “I like to have the clientele feel that they are eating at my dinner table. Mi casa es su casa.”
To learn more about Cadena Restaurant, you can visit their website, Facebook and Instagram!
