Isabel Hernaez X Hola! Magazine

If one of our readers stops at the Casa Cebreros restaurant, located in a small town in the Sierra de Ávila where Adolfo Suárez was born, and asks for an Isabella cake, let them know that this delicious apple crumble is a recipe of the stylist and “influencer” Isabel Hernáez Fúster, girlfriend of driver Carlos Sainz, Jr. ‘This is a place where we go a lot. They had just opened and were looking for desserts to add to their menu. They saw my recipe and loved it so much that they decided to include it. I was very excited!” Entrusts us with the twenty-six year old woman, who prepares her most famous dessert for HOLA!

In her lost hours, Isa, as her relatives call her, becomes master baker. A hobby that the journalist, by training, combines with her job as head of fashion design at Scalpers, the firm founded in 2007, among other partners, by Rafael de Medina, Duc de Feria. In turn, if her successful boyfriend in Formula 1, she has also achieved her own “pole position” in the digital universe, where she is followed by more than sixty thousand users. There, in addition to its looks and dream trips, her desserts are the ones that elicit the most reactions. The first time she posted the photos of this “freshly baked crumble”, she received more than three thousand likes. An amount that probably would have multiplied if her followers had also tried it.

“- When did you make this recipe for the first time?
– This is a dessert I discovered as a child in England. Crumble can be made with all kinds of fruit. Here, rhubarb (a vegetable) is typical, but the apple is usually the one I prefer. I published the result on my Instagram account a year ago and it was a success.
– Where does your passion for pastry come from?
– Since I was little, it’s something I’ve always loved. Everyone in my family thought that when I grew up, I would devote myself to it.
– And your boyfriend, Carlos, which dessert does he love most?
– Reverse apple pie and soletilla genoises, which we recently prepared in the countryside.
– Besides sweets, what other dishes are you good at cooking?
– I recently learned how to prepare some Mexican dishes, such as ceviche, guacamole or shrimp and red onion tacos.
– Do you want to participate in a TV show like “MasterChef”?
– I would like! This would be an opportunity to learn more.
– And the idea of setting up your own pastry shop?
– That would be great. A small pastry that serves good coffee and chocolate, cakes…
– Being so greedy, how do you take care of yourself?
– I try to be careful what I eat during the week, avoiding refined flours and sugar. I usually train between three and four days a week, in addition to practicing Pilates.

– Apart from this passion for desserts, you are dedicated to fashion. Did being the daughter of a publicist and an architect influence?
– Sure. I grew up in a very creative environment! My sister Carlota and I used to paint all day, we went to theatre and music classes. Also, the school we went to encouraged creativity a lot. I inherited my grandmother’s passion for fashion.
– In a very short time you became an influencer. Was it by chance or by research?
– I started showing my work on Instagram and realized my followers loved it. For me, it’s one more work tool.
– Everyone who knows you puts your sweetness forward, but how do you deal with ‘haters’?
– I didn’t have any bad experiences on Instagram. If I see someone who doesn’t agree with something, I like to write to them and see why they think that way.
– What are your other hobbies?
– I love sports, especially skiing. I love music too. I learned as a child and played double bass for many years. I also like to write, especially short stories.
– What are your next professional projects?
– I just started a podcast with my friend Ari called “Esta de Moda”. We have several sections: one about news, one where we interview a guest, and a consultation room. I am really excited! I am also delighted with the success of @madrileniansinmadrid, an account that already has eighty-three thousand subscribers and that I created with my friend Mayte with spontaneous and anonymous photographs of the looks we see on the street and that inspire us.

– Fúster is a family name with a lot of tradition in the company pages. Ricardo and Alvaro Fúster, your mother’s cousins, are good friends of King Felipe VI. Have you always been aware of this relevance?
– We live it normally. We are a very large and discreet family. For example, Ignacio Fúster, my great-grandfather, was a great man, a very important businessman in aviation and railways, and we always liked that my grandfather told all the stories to the grandchildren of the family.
– And you? How do you manage the notoriety of your relationship with Carlos?
– I don’t care. Carlos and I keep our relationship very private and we want it to stay that way.
– How is Carlos off the paddock?
– Familiar, fun and cheerful.
– What qualities would you put forward in him?
– His sacrifice and mental and physical dexterity. And that he is a beautiful person
– Are you stressed during the race?
– No, Formula 1 is a safe sport. Everything is measured and controlled. I’m not nervous about that. When he qualifies or he’s on the starting grid, yes.
– How do you celebrate triumphs?
– We always go out for a burger. The less stuff you carry, the better. Of course, ketchup is not missing!
– Would you like to get married and have children?
– Yes, I would like to marry and start a family.
– Is this a short-term plan?
– We would like to, but for the moment, no, it is still early.
– How do you present this next Christmas?
– This year I have offered to help the families who need it most. A few years ago, I spent December 23 and 24 helping in a soup kitchen and now I want to do it again.’

Interview by : EDUARDO VERBO 

Translation by : WAGsF1

Pics by : FERNANDO JUNCO 

Place : CUISINES PORCELANOSA