Seven years have passed since a nice video that showed a succession of telephone conversations between some of the most renowned chefs suggested that something was brewing in the gastronomic field. And the thing seemed to revolve, of course, around a table… “There, Joan! So, see you on the 25th?" It was Gastón Acurio, the most international of Peru's chefs, who was addressing his friend Joan Roca, to distribute the tasks. "I take care of the spiciness." Next we saw Carme Ruscalleda ask Ángel León from Cádiz if he could take care of the fish (“But it's Monday, will there be fish?”). That chain of calls encouraged to be attentive to what was going to happen that April 25, 2016.
A few days later we were able to discover that the event was none other than the birth of Comer, the gastronomy channel of La Vanguardia, which with its varied content, always open to exploring formats, would soon become a benchmark as a gastronomic space within the Spanish general press, both in audience and when reporting, focusing on completely different areas: from the countryside or the sea to the supermarket, from everyday cooking to haute cuisine. The idea has always been to tell the latest news, recommend restaurants, books or wines, but also invite us to reflect on how everything that happens around us affects food. In the focus are from the anonymous heroes who maintain old trades to the latest trends in the industry or the most controversial issues in nutrition, pending the new without forgetting the B side of food and the catering business.
The gastronomy space of La Vanguardia was gaining audience while its reports or in-depth interviews expanded its impact, as well as the regular sections: from the recipes of Pablo Albuerne, the Gipsy Chef, of the cook and photographer Ana Casanova, of Miquel Antoja or José Baig. Or like that new chapter that the journalist from La Vanguardia Domingo Marchena publishes every Friday from the series En la tinta de él (don't miss this week's one, about Popeye's spinach secret). Or the opinion articles regularly signed by Toni Massanés, director of Fundació Alícia, the writer Daniel Vázquez Sallés, the publicist Toni Segarra, the writer and field veterinarian María Sánchez or the journalist and historian Jorge Guitián.
Comer has a team of journalists led by Cristina Jolonch and including Yaiza Saiz, Hada Macià and Gerard Guerrero, and regular collaborating journalists: Laura Conde, Rosa Molinero, Iker Morán, Marc Casanovas, Jorge Guitián, Aitor Sánchez, Juan Manuel Bellver , Ramon Francàs or José Baig.
Comer observes gastronomy from a transversal perspective that allows rigorously addressing issues related to the cultural world, but also to the economy, health, science, history, anthropology or the social. And, above all, from curiosity and complicity among the team of journalists who work every day to continue growing. A team that has launched into exploring formats and platforms, such as video -from the recipes to the short documentaries of Sin Reservas) to the podcast Stay to eat, hosted by Cristina Jolonch. This channel is gaining followers on TikTok every day, where you can already see the videos of Gipsy Chef, those of Yaiza Saiz (did you see the one that warns us about everything we do wrong when we eat sushi, which is close to three million views?), those of Miquel Antoja or those of Addicted to humus.
Comer leads other successful activities outside the newsroom of La Vanguardia: from its debates with the public to participation in the latest All Those Market or initiatives such as Comer contigo (which distributed thousands of meals to vulnerable groups during the pandemic). Or the Comer Awards, an essential event in the busy gastronomy calendar.
