A platform planted in the gardens, yesterday radiant, of the Pedralbes palace and a poster with an already consolidated slogan “Som Gastronomia”, served as the stage to start the campaign to join the Catalunya World Gastronomy Regime 2025. No pomposity or pomposity was sought. verbiage to promote an appointment – it is the first time it has occurred in Europe – that more than one old cat in the sector observes with the suspicion of someone who has seen opportunities to give visibility to gastronomy and producers, and to whom that “the year of” sounds like an old refrain.
The important thing was to get straight to the point, anar per feina, giving voice to very diverse characters linked to the culinary wealth of this country. And that is what the presenter, Elisenda Carod, did, who soon introduced the first interventions, representing three institutions that have come together to support the Catalunya World Gastronomy Region initiative: Ferran Adrià (El Bulli Foundation), Toni Massanés (Fundació Alicia) and Carles Vilarrubí (Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition). All of them spoke of the necessary complicity, of analyzing what has been done well and what remains pending and, above all, of taking advantage of this opportunity "without personalism," insisted Adrià, for whom the important thing is to work together with all the actors involved. in gastronomy, from restaurants of all types of cuisine (he encouraged young people to bet more on the offer of traditional Catalan cuisine and Carles Vilarrubí took the opportunity to announce that the National Gastronomy Prize will be divided into two categories of equal relevance to recognize traditional and signature cuisine); the bars, the farmers, the wine makers, the ranchers, the fishermen, the fishmongers, the food industry, the schools, the press...
"We have to preserve the intangible heritage", reminded Massanés, "a heritage that does not remain and in which we have to believe". Politicians passed through the stage (counselors Torrent and Mascort defended that this 2025 opportunity must be for the entire Catalan agri-food sector).
Yesterday's event was a good starting point, and if a good part of the public gave the impression of coming out hopeful, the strong and sincere message of some of the representatives of sectors that acknowledge being "on their feet" undoubtedly contributed to a large extent. war” to remind us that they exist and that their future - and with theirs ours - is in danger. Like the rancher Laia Angrill or the president of the Cooperativa de Dones Arrosseres del Delta, Marcel.la Otamendi, who made it clear that there is no time to waste nor opportunities that we can afford to pass by. Because it's now or never.
