CUISINE, TODAY AND TOMORROW: A MUCH-NEEDED REFLECTION

Monday, March 4, 12:30 h

Led by: Josep Vilella (Secretary of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy)
Specialist: Fermí Puig (Chef at Barcelona’s Drolma restaurant), Pau Arenós (Food Critic-Journalist at El Periódico de Cataluna), José Carlos Capel (Food Critic-Journalist at El País), Albert Adriá (Chef at elBulli)

Description:
Classic or contemporary cuisine? Tradition or modernity? Evolution or fusion? Science or art? Intellect or emotion? The changes witnessed in Spanish cuisine over the last thirty years have been nothing short of spectacular, so much so that long-standing concepts and definitions are in crisis or have simply grown obsolete. And what’s more, thanks to great creators renowned the world over, our cuisine is enjoying the best of times and there are many who would cite it as European cuisine’s high point.

We are not so sure, however, and in any event, preserving this situation requires both effort and rigor. In circumstances like today’s, where there is such broad acceptance of the idea that all things culinary constitute art and culture, there has never been such a glaring lack of arguments and of a ‘blueprint’, so to speak.

Wherein lies the purpose of cuisine? Do we cook to dazzle or do we cook to satisfy?
As cultural heritage, cuisine is part of a context of permanent historical and social exchange which varies greatly from one country to the next, and from era to era.

The products of this spatial and temporal diversity are values which must be accepted, protected and respected. We know where we have come from, but the question is: Where are we headed?
As restaurant business professionals and as diners, we must ask: Is anything and everything valid?
A look at the current situation in the world of cuisine is absolutely necessary. We need time to reflect.

Controversy – debate – is served.

	Josep Vilella is Secretary of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and a member of the ‘5 a Taula’ group (La Vanguardia). He is the director of Segon Congrés Català de Cuina and advisor to Larousse Gastronomique. His publications include d’Art i Cuin (four volumes) and Taula parada (co-author). .
	Fermí Puig oversees one of the city of Barcelona’s most exclusive establishments: Drolma, located in the luxury hotel Majestic. One of the defining characteristics of the cuisine of this renowned chef – awarded one Michelin star – is his devotion to restrained, middle-class, functional dishes. Fermí Puig is also known for his unmatched skill with truffles – know-how he inherited from his family, which for many years owned Catalonia’s most important truffle company.
	Pau Arenós is a gastronomy journalist, a writer and chief editor of El Periódico de Catalunya. He has received a number of awards, including the Premi Nacional de Gastronomía 2006 and an honourable mention at the Ciutat de Barcelona 2005 Journalism Awards. His work includes Los genios del fuego (Best book from the world of chefs in 2002), La memòria dels plats and El topo a la luz del día, books in which the kitchen plays a starring role.
	José Carlos Capel, is one of the country’s most veteran and revered food critics. His texts have helped to jump-start the careers of many of today’s top chefs. Champion of the culinary revolution taking place today, he has been awarded countless prizes and has published 14 books on recipes, ingredients and trends. He currently works at the Spanish daily El País.
	The quintessential gastronomy experiment enthusiast, Albert Adrià is the brain behind the prestigious elBulli workshop, a laboratory where flavours, colours and emulsions take on a life of their own . The younger brother of prize-winning Ferrán Adriá became immersed in the world of cuisine at the age of 15 and ever since has left no stone unturned in his search for unique textures, using cutting-edge techniques and approaches.

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