Barcelona City Council, the Spanish Beef Interprofessional Organization (PROVACUNO), and several Michelin-starred chefs have joined forces once again in the kitchen to prepare a Christmas menu with more than 1,500 meals to be distributed to the soup kitchens of six social organizations in the city that serve vulnerable people.
The initiative, part of the “Barcelona, the Heart of Christmas” campaign, featured 11 chefs this year, including Michelin-starred chefs Paco Pérez, Joel Castanyé, Hnos. Torres, Juanlu Fernández, Paco Méndez, and Albert Raurich, as well as renowned chefs Takeshi Somekawa, Ada Parellada, Elena Cerezo, Carlota Claver, Naoyuki Haginoya, and Takanori Osawa. They prepared the now-traditional beef fricandó, a classic of Catalan cuisine and a key element of this charitable event, which is being held for the third consecutive year in Barcelona.
The event is part of the city’s Christmas campaign and takes place at the Institut de Gastronomia i Restauració de Barcelona (Barcelona Institute of Gastronomy and Restaurants), a public training center whose main objective is to provide excellent professional training in the hospitality and restaurant sector. New to this edition, the students of the school participated in preparing the menu, making the appetizers, main course, and desserts. This resulted in a complete and healthy meal, using ingredients sourced from the city’s network of municipal markets, thanks to the collaboration of the Barcelona Municipal Markets Institute (IMMB). The Barcelona Food Institute (IAB) also contributed by providing the bread, made in its Artisan Bread and Pastry Specialization Course.
The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who attended the Barcelona Institute of Gastronomy where the menus were prepared, remarked: “We want to thank Provacuno for their ability to bring together talent and hold this event at the Barcelona Institute of Gastronomy and Restaurants. And we thank the chefs and students who prepared this fricandó with locally sourced products from the municipal markets. It couldn’t have been better.”
For his part, Javier López, director of PROVACUNO, highlighted the importance of including beef, of which there is a wide variety of affordable cuts, in a varied and balanced diet: “Beef is a source of high-quality protein, necessary for maintaining strength and energy, especially important when food may be limited, as well as vitamins like B12, and essential minerals such as easily absorbed iron, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium, essential for preventing anemia and strengthening the immune system. Therefore, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share a plate of beef once again this year with those who need it most,” said Javier López.
Throughout the year, PROVACUNO leads various charitable initiatives across the country, collaborating with Michelin-starred chefs and reaffirming its commitment to social organizations and people in vulnerable situations. This private, non-profit, national entity is made up of the main organizations in the production, processing, and marketing sectors to defend the interests of the beef sector, and is a meeting place and forum for debate to improve the situation of the sector’s food chain.
