We are pleased to see the result of the research project we have carried out with Fagor Professional to test the usability, functionality, and cooking quality of the new range of Fagor iKORE Modular ovens, which will be launched next week. This new range is controlled by a 100% digital and configurable interface, and our facilities and network of professionals in the sector have been the main testing ecosystem.

On the one hand, it was put into practice in the real context of LABe Digital Gastronomy Lab, (our open innovation laboratory to promote the digital transformation of gastronomy) where the kitchen team analyzed on a day-to-day basis the usability and technological advances that Fagor Professional incorporated in its new oven prototype. In addition to the LABe Restaurant team, we called the attention of 30 other chefs from different profiles of the sector (collectivities, independent restaurants, organized catering…) who participated in this research.

On the other hand, in the laboratories of BCC Innovation, our team of technicians, together with the chefs, carried out an exhaustive physicochemical analysis to scientifically verify the impact of the technologies incorporated in the oven on the quality of cooked food.

Through this strategic testing, important pre-launch factors were determined: 

• User expectations
• Suitability
• Perception of oven use
• Oven evaluation
• Cooking quality

Thanks to the combination of scientific knowledge with culinary knowledge and user-centered design, along with the motivation and involvement of the entire team, Fagor achieved the result of the new generation of iKORE ovens. Fernando Palacio, chef-researcher at BCC Innovation, states that the key has been that "we have combined scientific knowledge with culinary knowledge…", to which Jonan Eskibel, chief engineer at iKORE, adds: "We worked on the three areas of our project: laboratory, usability and chef".

We are pleased to see the result of the research project we have carried out with Fagor Professional to test the usability, functionality, and cooking quality of the new range of Fagor iKORE Modular ovens, which will be launched next week. This new range is controlled by a 100% digital and configurable interface, and our facilities and network of professionals in the sector have been the main testing ecosystem.

On the one hand, it was put into practice in the real context of LABe Digital Gastronomy Lab, (our open innovation laboratory to promote the digital transformation of gastronomy) where the kitchen team analyzed on a day-to-day basis the usability and technological advances that Fagor Professional incorporated in its new oven prototype. In addition to the LABe Restaurant team, we called the attention of 30 other chefs from different profiles of the sector (collectivities, independent restaurants, organized catering…) who participated in this research.

On the other hand, in the laboratories of BCC Innovation, our team of technicians, together with the chefs, carried out an exhaustive physicochemical analysis to scientifically verify the impact of the technologies incorporated in the oven on the quality of cooked food.

Through this strategic testing, important pre-launch factors were determined: 

• User expectations
• Suitability
• Perception of oven use
• Oven evaluation
• Cooking quality

Thanks to the combination of scientific knowledge with culinary knowledge and user-centered design, along with the motivation and involvement of the entire team, Fagor achieved the result of the new generation of iKORE ovens. Fernando Palacio, chef-researcher at BCC Innovation, states that the key has been that "we have combined scientific knowledge with culinary knowledge…", to which Jonan Eskibel, chief engineer at iKORE, adds: "We worked on the three areas of our project: laboratory, usability and chef".

Este miércoles, 16 de diciembre, tuvo lugar la reunión del Patronato de Basque Culinary Center, máximo órgano de la institución, en un formato híbrido presencial/digital en el que participaron un total de 15 personas, entre las que se encontraban Joxe Mari Aizega (BCC), Pedro Subijana (Akelarre), Elena Arzak (Restaurante Arzak), Eneko Atxa (Azurmendi), Bittor Oroz (Gobierno Vasco), Vicente Atxa (Mondragon Unibertsitatea), Javier Larrañaga  (Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa) y Diego Guerrero (DSTAgE). Entre los temas tratados en este encuentro anual destaca el balance de 2020, un año exigente, donde la digitalización, la innovación y el trabajo en equipo han resultado vitales para avanzar. Además, el encuentro también ha servido para presentar algunas de las novedades 2021, año en el que la Facultad de Ciencias Gastronómicas, adscrita a Mondragon Unibertsitatea, cumple su décimo aniversario.

Tras un año lleno de cambios entre los que destaca el rediseño del modelo educativo: más práctico, personalizado, interdisciplinar y orientado a desarrollar todas las competencias de un profesional de la gastronomía del futuro, Basque Culinary Center da otro paso adelante en su plan formativo y presenta el lanzamiento de dos nuevos másteres en 2021: el Máster en Comunicación Gastronómica y el Máster Universitario en Formación del profesorado de Gastronomía; dos nuevos cursos de especialización: de Cocina Farm To Table y de especialización de Perfeccionamiento de técnicas culinarias, este último 100% online; y un catalogo de más de 40 nuevos cursos para profesionales. Nuevas formaciones que se suman al Grado en Gastronomía y Artes Culinarias, al programa de Doctorado, a los 8 másteres que se imparten en la Facultad y a los cursos que se imparten actualmente.  

Además, cabe destacar que durante este 2020 Basque Culinary Center ha afrontado los retos anuales con nuevas soluciones y una notable evolución: El reacondicionamiento de los espacios, un innovador entorno digital, nuevas iniciativas como el espacio “Gastronomía 360º” y proyectos como la “Huerta”, “Gastronomy Shapers” han sido algunas de las novedades que se han implantado en la Facultad.

Tal y como apunta Joxe Mari Aizega, Director General de Baque Culinary Center, “2020 ha exigido lo mejor de nosotros como colectivo. Hemos demostrado que gracias a la creatividad y la pasión de las personas que formamos Basque Culinary Center somos capaces de hacer frente a cualquier reto y además, fortalecer los vínculos con nuestra comunidad. Ahora, también hemos pensado en el futuro y en cómo podemos seguir completando la formación de los profesionales de la gastronomía del mañana y esperamos poder celebrar nuestro 10 aniversario y seguir consolidando el poder de la gastronomía bajo nuestra filosofía: la pasión, la innovación, la transformación social y la excelencia”.  

Nuevos Másteres y Cursos

Un año más, Basque Culinary Center seguirá ampliando su oferta formativa para nutrir las necesidades de los y las profesionales del sector.

En primer lugar, el Máster en Comunicación Gastronómica abrirá el periodo de matriculación en enero de 2021 y dará comienzo en octubre. El objetivo general del máster será formar a los futuros profesionales de la comunicación gastronómica que se encargarán de la conceptualización, producción y gestión de contenidos, principalmente a través de canales digitales, tanto para medios informativos como para restaurantes, empresas, instituciones públicas y otras organizaciones e iniciativas de emprendimiento.

Por otro lado, el Máster Universitario en Formación del Profesorado de Gastronomía, que abrirá su matrícula en mayo del próximo año, arrancará en enero de 2022 con la idea de formar docentes profesionales de la gastronomía.  Tanto la Facultad De Humanidades y Ciencias De La Educación como la Facultad de Ciencias Gastronómicas, ambas adscritas a Mondragon Unibertsitatea ofrecerán una sólida formación pedagógica y didáctica específica que capacitará a los y las estudiantes del máster a dar respuesta a los retos futuros, como profesionales de la educación y la investigación del ámbito de la gastronomía.

Además, el centro también impartirá dos nuevos cursos de especialización. El en Cocina Farm To Table, centrado en una de las tendencias que con más fuerza ha irrumpido en el panorama gastronómico será un curso único que combinará la formación culinaria con la horticultura, enseñando tendencias y técnicas de cocina y realizar un acercamiento a los sistemas sostenibles y Zero Waste. Por otro lado, el nuevo curso de especialización de Perfeccionamiento de técnicas culinarias, se ofrecerá por primera vez 100% online.

Finalmente, Basque Culinary Center renovará su amplia oferta formativa dirigida a profesionales del sector, lanzando un nuevo catálogo en enero de 2021, con más de 40 cursos, entre los que destacan, como novedad, “Oferta Gastronómica adaptada al Delivery”, “La Quinta Gama” y “Metodología para diseñar Nuevas Experiencias”.

10º aniversario

La Fundación Basque Culinary Center, con sede en Donostia -San Sebastián, nació como un ambicioso proyecto de formación, investigación e innovación, destinado al desarrollo del sector gastronómico, con una clara vocación internacional y bajo la idea de relacionar la gastronomía con la gestión, la ciencia y otras disciplinas.

El 26 de septiembre de 2011 Basque Culinary Center, la primera Facultad de Ciencias Gastronómicas, abría sus puertas a la primera promoción del Grado en Gastronomía y Artes Culinarias. Así comenzó la andadura de una institución académica pionera a nivel mundial.

Tras diez años de actividad, Basque Culinary Center es un proyecto singular, innovador, y con una clara vocación de ser referencia en el sector del conocimiento y también en la promoción de la gastronomía. Desarrolla 3 actividades principales: la Facultad de Ciencias Gastronómicas, adscrita a la Universidad Mondragon Unibertsitatea, el Centro de Investigación e Innovación en Alimentación y Gastronomía (BCC Innovation) y una plataforma de eventos y promoción de la gastronomía.

La Fundación fue y sigue siendo un magnífico ejemplo de cooperación público-privada, que se materializa en el patronato que está constituido por entidades del sector del conocimiento, instituciones públicas, empresas privadas y cocineros/as.

El programa de actividades del 10º aniversario de Basque Culinary Center se desplegará entre enero y septiembre. Se están diseñando diferentes iniciativas y contenidos que permitirán celebrar y reconocer los 10 años de camino de Basque Culinary Center con los diferentes integrantes de la comunidad: estudiantes, alumni, personas de Basque Culinary Center, empresas colaboradoras, instituciones, chefs e integrantes del sector gastronómico, etc.

El Patronato de Basque Culinary Center

El Patronato es el máximo órgano de la Fundación Basque Culinary Center y se encuentra formado por nueve de los chefs más renombrados del País Vasco entre los que se encuentran: Juan Mari y Elena Arzak, Pedro Subijana, Martin Berasategui, Andoni Luis Aduriz, Carlos Arguiñano, Eneko Atxa, Hilario Arbelaitz y Diego Guerrero. Además de instituciones como Gobierno Vasco, Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa, Ayuntamiento de Donostia-San Sebastián, entidades como Azti-Tecnalia y Mondragon Unibertsitatea. También forman parte del patronato empresas como Eroski, Martiko, Covap, Mahou-San Miguel y Fagor.

En respuesta a la difícil situación actual que viven muchas personas, Basque Culinary Center ha puesto en marcha una nueva iniciativa social en colaboración con Cáritas para donar 1.000 menús a las familias en riesgo de exclusión social de Gipuzkoa esta Navidad.

La iniciativa formará parte del programa de formación de los y las alumnas del Grado en Gastronomía y Artes Culinarias. Así, estudiantes y profesores/as de la Facultad de Ciencias Gastronómicas elaborarán un millar de menús que contendrán un primero, un segundo y un postre. Las elaboraciones se entregarán en cajas, formato delivery, a las diferentes delegaciones de Caritas Gipuzkoa, que colabora en este proyecto, y que se encargará de seleccionar a los destinatarios y de distribuir los alimentos.

El menú, que tendrá un toque navideño, se comenzará a distribuir a partir del 17 de diciembre. Estará compuesto por un Bisque de marisco, un Estofado de ternera y un Brownie de chocolate, que irán pasteurizados y envasados al vacío, listos para calentar y consumir. Además, irán acompañados de la correspondiente información de alérgenos y la fecha de consumo preferente.

El objetivo de esta iniciativa es responder, desde la gastronomía, a las necesidades sociales, acuciadas por la actual pandemia, y ser solidarios/as con un colectivo de personas que lo necesita. Este proyecto ofrecerá al alumnado la ocasión de poner en práctica parte de lo aprendido hasta el momento, y también, de acercarse a las personas y ayudar a construir un mundo algo más justo y humano. Tanto estudiantes como trabajadores/as de Basque Culinary Center participarán como voluntarios para apoyar las diferentes fases del proceso como son la preparación de las elaboraciones, el envasado, el embalaje y el envío.  

Tal y como ha declarado el director de Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega, “ante la crisis sanitaria, han sido muchas las respuestas solidarias y de coraje que ha dado el sector gastronómico. Basque Culinary Center también ha querido aportar su granito de arena en estas fechas tan señaladas sirviéndose del compromiso social de la institución y del espíritu emprendedor y la pasión de sus personas”.    

Esta iniciativa no sería posible sin la colaboración de Cáritas Gipuzkoa. Tal y como ha manifestado su director, José Ramón Aramendi, “Gracias a Basque Culinary Center, esta Navidad vamos a poder ofrecer más alimentos a personas que viven en una situación precaria y en riesgo de exclusión para ayudarles a disfrutar de esta época del año y seguir contribuyendo a construir un mundo más justo y humano”.

Within the framework of the European project WeValueFood, the Food Champions Weekend took place on November 28th, the closing event of the activities coordinated by IMDEA Food and the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) with the Spanish Food Champions.

The Food Champions who have worked with IMDEA and UAM, are young scientists from different fields of knowledge related to food who have been receiving specific training on scientific dissemination and have created different communication channels through social media for this purpose. In these new online profiles, they have focused their content on promoting healthy eating and their specific knowledge in a closer way to the general population.

During the day, participants from Spain, Italy and Greece presented the activities they have developed in recent months to a panel of experts in scientific communication. After selecting a winning project, the members of the different teams participated in an online cooking master-class led by John Regefalk and Fernando Palacio, BCCInnovation R&D expert chefs. The workshop was developed using the ingredients that had been previously sent to the participants, chosen and packaged for the different elaborations that were carried out: simple and innovative recipes that covered different contemporary culinary techniques.

The day closed with a virtual workshop on beer, given by Laura Vázquez, a PhD research scientist from BCCInnovation.

For more information about the Food Champions, check out their networks:

Instagram: @madres_cientificas @fermentilandia @nutreconciencia @cocinacorrecome

Twitter: @BeFeedUS @nutreconciencia @cocinacorrecome @fermentilandia

Facebook: @BeFeedUS @nutreconciencia

EROSKI y Basque Culinary Center  renuevan su acuerdo de colaboración por otros cuatro años más con el objetivo de desarrollar proyectos y establecer marcos colaborativos en las áreas de innovación y formación en gastronomía. El convenio ha sido firmado por el director general de Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega y el secretario general de EROSKI, Mikel Larrea.

EROSKI y Basque Culinary Center firmaron su primer acuerdo de colaboración en 2011, en el momento de la apertura de la Facultad de Gastronomía. Ambas instituciones han afianzado su compromiso de trabajar conjuntamente en proyectos e iniciativas de formación e investigación que contribuyan a divulgar el conocimiento gastronómico a segmentos de la sociedad como las personas jóvenes y las familias, poniendo foco en las áreas de salud y sostenibilidad.

La innovación en conceptos gastronómicos es otra de las líneas estratégicas de trabajo en común entre EROSKI y Basque Culinary Center, apostando por el desarrollo de proyectos conjuntos llevados a cabo por profesionales de ambas organizaciones.

“La renovación de este convenio con Basque Culinary Center es una consecuencia natural del esfuerzo que, desde el inicio de nuestra relación, ambas organizaciones hemos hecho en la defensa de una alimentación saludable y sostenible por parte de un consumidor cada vez más y mejor informado. Reforzamos nuestra relación para abordar nuevos proyectos de desarrollo, formación e información”, señala el secretario general de EROSKI, Mikel Larrea.

“Formación, innovación, investigación y divulgación de la gastronomía conforman áreas estratégicas de actuación y se encuentran en el ADN de Basque Culinary Center. Desde 2011 compartimos con EROSKI una visión de la gastronomía y de la alimentación que se ha plasmado a lo largo de estos años en múltiples proyectos. La renovación de este acuerdo afianza nuestra relación y un compromiso efectivo para afrontar los retos futuros”, explica el director general de Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega.

Proyectos conjuntos

EROSKI y Basque Culinary Center colaboran conjuntamente en diversos proyectos relacionados con la calidad de sus productos, programas didácticos sobre alimentación saludable o proyectos de innovación.

Concretamente, Basque Culinary Center participa de forma activa en el testeo de los productos de la marca gourmet SELEQTIA. Estos productos de alta gama son catados organolépticamente por profesionales expertos en análisis sensorial alimentario de BCC Innovation, primer Centro Tecnológico enfocado en gastronomía en el mundo. Asimismo, ambas entidades mantienen abiertos varios proyectos de I+D+i de desarrollo tecnológico, innovación y promoción para desarrollar productos de valor añadido.

Por otro lado, EROSKI y Basque Culinary Center trabajan juntos en el desarrollo del Programa Educativo en Alimentación y Hábitos Saludables (PEAHS), un exitoso programa organizado por la Escuela de Alimentación de EROSKI que ha sido renovado a formato digital para este curso con el fin de facilitar el acceso a sus contenidos en la actual situación de pandemia. Se trata de un programa educativo que tiene como fin sensibilizar a los niños y niñas y a su entorno sobre la importancia de llevar una alimentación equilibrada y unos hábitos de vida saludables. Dentro de este programa, se va a desarrollar la nueva versión digital del taller “El Chef de la Clase”, que hasta ahora se realizaba de forma presencial en diferentes puntos de Euskadi y Navarra y en el que participaban más de 1500 alumnos. La digitalización va a permitir llegar a niños y niñas de cualquier punto del país y lograr un mayor alcance en la divulgación de la gastronomía.

Estrecha colaboración en tiempos de pandemia

La crisis de la COVID-19 ha supuesto una oportunidad para poner en marcha, de forma conjunta entre ambas entidades, algunos contenidos en formato digital: el programa educativo de técnicas culinarias INNOVARÉ, donde a través de una serie de videos se mostraba cómo realizar técnicas culinarias especiales tales como la cocción al papillote o fermentados o el proyecto formativo FAMILIA CHEF, dirigido a las familias socias de EROSKI Club que aunaba entretenimiento y divulgación.

Recientemente, además, se ha puesto en marcha un nuevo proyecto divulgativo “EROSKI Suma”, cuyo objetivo es reunir a diferentes agentes en torno a temas de actualidad, estratégicos o de calado social que afecten al sector de la alimentación y la gastronomía con la intención de generar entornos de debate y compartir conocimiento.

On November 19^th and 20^th the Basque Culinary Center and FRUTO are hosting a truly unique online event to reflect on gastronomy’s role and potential impact in terms of sustainability, and on how to involve younger generations in the much-needed transformations

Open registration: https://sustainability.bculinary.com

During this time of such profound upheaval, the Basque Culinary Center, led by BCCInnovation, and FRUTO wish to bring the issue of sustainability to the table and discuss how the gastronomy sector can engage with some of the many environmental, economic and social realities looming on the horizon. They will do so in the good company of international experts, and through stimulating action-oriented dynamics.

With the goal of sharing knowledge and experiences and providing work tools, an international conference will be held on November 19^th and 20^th. This online event is open to the public and is designed to raise collective awareness about the impact gastronomy can have when it fully comprehends and exploits food’s transformative power, and what it means to foster sustainable development in our day and age.

With presentations and workshops, this event wishes to bring together a variety of demographics: professionals from across the gastronomy sector, people attuned to these issues, and in particular, young people from around the globe who, like so many of their peers, are determined to change our means and forms of production and consumption.

“We need to change how humans relate to food. Although it may be hard to believe, within just a few decades, we will have a problem of massive proportions on our hands, with irreparable and enormous effects on our daily lives. The role of chefs, as well as the rest of the actors who comprise the sector's value chain, is increasingly evident and urgent: we must take sustainable action, and soon, understanding that food is not only a source of health but also of knowledge, history, and culture. It is absolutely fundamental that we involve and empower the voices of the younger generations”, insists Alex Atala, founder of FRUTO.

Atala, chef of the DOM restaurant, will form part of  a remarkable team that includes chefs Douglas McMaster (Silo, UK), Matt Orlando (Amass, Denmark), Tracy Chang (Pagu, USA), Selassie Atadika (Midunu, Ghana), Oliver Holt (Kitchen Farming Project, USA) and Jaime Rodríguez (Caribe project, Colombia); along with interdisciplinary experts such as ethnobotanist Miles Irvin (UK), activist Chido Govera (Zimbabwe), designer Elsa Yranzo (Spain), architect Carolyn Steel (UK), millennial environmentalist Camille Etienne, Pamela Coke-Hamilton (of the International Trade Center), among many others.

“In a year as uniquely challenging as 2020, we cannot afford to lose sight of the sustainability debate. On the contrary, it must be contextualized in today’s complex and demanding circumstances, wherein gastronomy can actively and creatively participate in initiatives of unstoppable transformation”, explains Jose Mari Aizega, director of the Basque Culinary Center. He invokes this conference to analyze how to “reduce, repair, recover, reuse and recycle, but also how to rethink and re-imagine our traditional models of interacting with food”.

The conference’s agenda will address topics such as circular economy, biodiversity, efficient resource management, food design, consumption, social organization, urban gardens and orchards, no-waste cuisine, combat-ready cuisine, activism, public policy, and more. Online registration at https://sustainability.bculinary.com. The event will be streamed ​​on Zoom in 4 languages and Youtube* (*just the first day without translation).  

"The event will focus on the role of today’s generation, but above all that of future generations. Chefs and actors throughout the entire food system will come together to highlight the value of food in human relationships, from an interdisciplinary perspective and a cultural, social, and political standpoint. We all firmly believe that gastronomy is a powerful tool for transformation”, remarks Felipe Ribenboim, co-creator of FRUTO | food dialogues.

This year marks the 9^th edition of the San Sebastián Sustainability Conference: a joint initiative between the Basque Culinary Center (an educational-innovation center located in Donostia-San Sebastián) and FRUTO, the platform created by Brazilian chef Alex Atala and Felipe Ribenboim to promote global conversations about food. Funding has been provided by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Government. Aquanaria and Mahou-San Miguel are also collaborators.  

During this time of such profound upheaval, the Basque Culinary Center and FRUTO wish to bring the issue of sustainability to the table and discuss how the gastronomy sector can engage with some of the many environmental, economic and social realities looming on the horizon. They will do so in the good company of international experts, and through stimulating action-oriented dynamics.

With the goal of sharing knowledge and experiences and providing work tools, an international conference will be held on November 19th and 20th. This online event is open to the public and is designed to raise collective awareness about the impact gastronomy can have when it fully comprehends and exploits food’s transformative power, and what it means to foster sustainable development in our day and age.

With presentations and workshops, this event wishes to bring together a variety of demographics: professionals from across the gastronomy sector, people attuned to these issues, and in particular, young people from around the globe who, like so many of their peers, are determined to change our means and forms of production and consumption.

“We need to change how humans relate to food. Although it may be hard to believe, within just a few decades, we will have a problem of massive proportions on our hands, with irreparable and enormous effects on our daily lives. The role of chefs, as well as the rest of the actors who comprise the sector's value chain, is increasingly evident and urgent: we must take sustainable action, and soon, understanding that food is not only a source of health but also of knowledge, history, and culture. It is absolutely fundamental that we involve and empower the voices of the younger generations”, insists Alex Atala, founder of FRUTO.

Atala, chef of the DOM restaurant, will form part of  a remarkable team that includes chefs Douglas McMaster (Silo, UK), Matt Orlando (Amass, Denmark), Tracy Chang (Pagu, USA), Selassie Atadika (Midunu, Ghana), Oliver Holt (Kitchen Farming Project, USA) and Jaime Rodríguez (Caribe project, Colombia); along with interdisciplinary experts such as ethnobotanist Miles Irvin (UK), activist Chido Govera (Zimbabwe), designer Elsa Yranzo (Spain), architect Carolyn Steel (UK), millennial environmentalist Camille Etienne, Pamela Coke-Hamilton (of the International Trade Center), among many others.

“In a year as uniquely challenging as 2020, we cannot afford to lose sight of the sustainability debate. On the contrary, it must be contextualized in today’s complex and demanding circumstances, wherein gastronomy can actively and creatively participate in initiatives of unstoppable transformation”, explains Jose Mari Aizega, director of the Basque Culinary Center. He invokes this conference to analyze how to “reduce, repair, recover, reuse and recycle, but also how to rethink and re-imagine our traditional models of interacting with food”.

The conference’s agenda will address topics such as circular economy, biodiversity, efficient resource management, food design, consumption, social organization, urban gardens and orchards, no-waste cuisine, combat-ready cuisine, activism, public policy, and more. Online registration begins today (28TH October) at https://sustainability.bculinary.com. The event will be streamed ​​on Zoom in 4 languages and Youtube* (*just the first day without translation).  

"The event will focus on the role of today’s generation, but above all that of future generations. Chefs and actors throughout the entire food system will come together to highlight the value of food in human relationships, from an interdisciplinary perspective and a cultural, social, and political standpoint. We all firmly believe that gastronomy is a powerful tool for transformation”, remarks Felipe Ribenboim, co-creator of FRUTO | food dialogues.

This year marks the 9th edition of the San Sebastián Sustainability Conference: a joint initiative between the Basque Culinary Center (an educational-innovation center located in Donostia-San Sebastián) and FRUTO, the platform created by Brazilian chef Alex Atala and Felipe Ribenboim to promote global conversations about food. Funding has been provided by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Government. Aquanaria and Mahou-San Miguel are also collaborators.  

For further information: https://sustainability.bculinary.com

Gastronomy takes a step forward in its scientific recognition. The International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, achieves an historical impact factor and becomes the first journal that manages to bring gastronomy into the world of scientific publications. After increasing its impact factor over the last year by more than 65% and achieving an impact metric of 2.186, the gastronomic-scientific journal published by Elsevier, whose editor in chief is Juan Carlos Arboleya, a lecturer at the Basque Culinary Center, has overcome the challenge of competing with purely scientific journals and added to its prestige by bringing gastronomy up to the same level of quality.
 
IJGFS was created in 2012 promoted by Mugaritz and AZTI, and published by Elsevier, the world's biggest scientific literature publisher. Later, the Basque Culinary Center joined as a promoter of this publication which, under a scientific perspective, aspired to become a referential space of communication for chefs and scientists in the five continents, and it seems that they have achieved it at last.
 
On occasion of this, its promoters and the publisher will hold next 22 October a digital seminar that will review the history of the publication with renowned experts.
 
The online event, titled “International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science: when culinary arts and research collide”, will present in English and Spanish the track record of the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science (IJGFS), the only indexed research journal that deals with the interaction of food science and gastronomy, with professionals, editors and collaborators from the gastronomy-science sector.
 
Experts such as Andoni Luis Aduriz, from the Mugaritz Restaurant and honorary editor of IJGFS, Rogelio Pozo, director general of AZTI, Joxe Mari Aizega, director general of the Basque Culinary Center, Juan Carlos Arboleya, lecturer at the Basque Culinary Center and chief editor of IJGFS, Morgane Dagot, editor at Elsevier, Dani Lasa, from Imago and former chief editor of IJGFS, Jorge Ruiz, from the University of Extremadura and associate editor of IJGFS, Charles Spence, professor at Oxford University and associate editor of IJGFS, Jozef Youssef, chef at Kitchen Theory and associate of IJGFS and Julián Otero, R&D at Mugaritz and associate editor of IJGFS, will try to describe the origins of the journal, its creation and how the project developed, and the journal's current performance will be presented, highlighting significant factors in academic publication. In addition, the presentations will be followed by an open debate on the future of the interaction between science and gastronomy, where the audience will have the chance to ask the panellists questions.         

The seminar's objective will be, among others, to determine how the science-cuisine interaction can change both the world of science and the world of gastronomy, and will do so by debating different aspects of the journal, such as how the idea arose, the steps taken, the project's complexity, the addition and involvement of the academic world in the project, or the importance of the journal for the Basque Culinary Center.
 
The dialogue will also centre on the importance of the impact index of IJGFS, where the participants will share their technical point of view and will propose actions to reinforce the impact index and increase the quality of its articles, ending with an open debate on the future of this relationship between science and cuisine and how the journal can help to generate an impact on it.
 
International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science: when culinary arts and research collide - PROGRAMME
 
DATE: 22 October
Time: 17:00 (CEST)
Channel: Zoom
Languages: English/Spanish (simultaneous translation available)
Moderated by: Juan Carlos Arboleya (BCC; chief editor of IJGFS)
 
PART 1: Institutional debate (30 minutes)
Participants: Joxe Mari Aizega (BCC), Andoni Luis Aduriz (Mugaritz), Rogelio Pozo (AZTI), Morgane Dagot (Elsevier).
 
PART 2: Technical debate on the journal (30 minutes)
Participants: Dani Lasa (Imago), Jorge Ruiz (University of Extremadura),
Julián Otero (Mugaritz), Jozef Youssef (Kitchen Theory) and Charles Spence (Oxford University).
 
Free registration here.
 

‘ARZAK Since 1897’ to open Culinary Zinema

The other world premieres in the section are ‘Camí lliure / Free Way (Vía libre)’ and ‘La receta del equilibrio’

Twelve renowned chiefs will participate in the themed dinners, which will take place at the Basque Culinary Center

ARZAK Since 1897, the documentary by Asier Altuna about the restaurant run by Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena, will open the Culinary Zinema section which, at the San Sebastian Festival’s 68th edition, will have another three feature films. Camí lliure / Free Way (Vía libre), by Ángel Parra, also has a strong family component and shows the relationship between chefs Raül Balam and his mother Carme Ruscalleda, while La receta del equilibrio, by Óscar Bernàcer, places the chef Ricard Camarena before the challenge of opening his premises after the lockdown. Lastly, The Truffle Hunters, by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, brings a portrait of several elderly people and their search for the coveted white truffle in Italy’s Piedmont region.

ARZAK Since 1897, Camí lliure / Free Way (Vía libre) and La receta del equilibrio will screen in San Sebastian as world premieres, while The Truffle Hunters will be an international premiere.

Asier Altuna (Bergara, Gipuzkoa, 1969) returns to the Festival after participating in sections such as the Official Selection, where he competed with Amama (Irizar Award, 2015), having screened Bertsolari (2011) out of competition, and participated in New Directors and the Basque Cinema Gala, where he respectively presented Aupa Etxebeste!(Youth Award, 2005) and Agur Etxebeste! (2019), both co-directed with Telmo Esnal. In ARZAK Since 1897, which participated in the Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-production Forum in 2018, he analyses the transform of traditional cookery into the new cuisine d’auteur through the Restaurante Arzak. Juan Mari and his daughter Elena, who has been running the business for some time now, are the leading characters in a film also featuring the appearance of colleagues including Ferran Adrià, Pedro Subijana, Joan Roca, Karlos Arguiñano, Andoni Luis Aduriz and Dabiz Muñoz, among others.  

For his part, Ángel Parra (Madrid, 1978) gets to grips in Camí lliure / Free Way (Vía libre) with the story of how Catalan chef Raül Balam overcame the odds, and how, having beaten his drug addiction, he had the opportunity to run the prestigious restaurant of his mother, Carme Ruscalleda, but rejected the offer to follow his own path. With different responsibilities as a director and producer with TVE, Ángel Parra already approached foodie films in Soul (2017), a documentary about chefs Eneko Atxa and Jiro Ono.

Author of different fictional and non-fictional works, Óscar Bernàcer (Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1978) has already collaborated with Ricard Camarena over three seasons of the documentary series Cuineres i cuiners. Now, in La receta del equilibrio, he once again works with the Valencian chef, portrayed as he sets about the difficult task of reopening his restaurants after the lockdown while the local vegetable garden, heedless of the pandemic, continues its natural cycle of growth.

Having co-directed their first feature films, The Last Race (2018), Michael Dweck (Brooklyn, New York) and Gregory Kershaw (Utica, New York) join forces once again on The Truffle Hunters, which had its premiere at Sundance Festival and is part of the official selection for Cannes 2020, cancelled due to Covid-19. The film follows a handful of men in their seventies and eighties who, accompanied by their dogs, search the forests of Italy’s Piedmont region for the rare and coveted Alba white truffle. 

THEMED DINNERS

The four titles in the section will be accompanied by themed dinners, to take place from September 21-24 at the Basque Culinary Center. Tickets for the screenings and dinners will go on sale on the Festival and Kutxabank websites at 09:00 on Friday, September 4, at a price of 70 euros. Tickets for the films alone will be available for purchase at a price of 7.90 euros from September 14 for screenings on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd, and from the 15th in the case of the session on the 24th.  

Seven famous chefs who have trained and worked at Arzak will provide the opening dinner (on the 21st), corresponding to the film ARZAK Since 1897. This is an ensemble dinner revisiting and paying homage to the universe generated by Juan Mari and Elena Arzak. The male and female chefs participating in the dinner are Yolanda León and Juanjo Pérez, from the restaurant Cocinandos in León (one Michelin star), Pablo González, from the restaurant La Cabaña in Murcia (two Michelin stars), Xabier Diez from the restaurant Xarma in Donostia-San Sebastian, Bruno Oteiza from the restaurant Gatxupa in Donostia-San Sebastian, Xanty Elías from the restaurant Acánthum in Huelva (one Michelin star) and Fernando Bárcena, professor at the Basque Culinary Center and head chef at the Restaurante Arzak for eleven years.

The dinner on the 22nd will be laid on by Ricard Camarena. The Valencian chef from the Ricard Camarena Restaurant, an eatery with two Michelin stars, will spell out his gastronomic proposal based on flavour and respect for the product. His is a creative cuisine, committed to tradition and flecked with cosmopolitan, Mediterranean and timeless influences. In 2018, Ricard Camarena received the National Gastronomy Prize as Best head chef from Spain’s Royal Academy of Gastronomy. 

On the 23rd, chefs Edorta Lamo, from the restaurant Arrea! in Kanpezu, Araba, Óscar García from the Baluarte restaurant in Soria (one Michelin star) and Andrea Tumbarello, from the Don Giovanni restaurant in Madrid, will serve an original dinner focussing on the truffle. Three different gastronomic viewpoints reflected in three different types of truffle from three different territories: Piedmont, Soria and Araba.

Raül Ballam, son of Carme Ruscalleda and chef of the restaurant Moments (two Michelin stars) in Barcelona, will lay on a dinner bringing this edition of Culinary Zinema to a close. Moments takes the shape of a gastronomic space based on the concept of the San Pau restaurant, created by Carme Ruscalleda, modern Catalan cuisine taking its inspiration from the seasonal products of the Maresme region. 

The dinners have been designed according to a strict protocol of safety and hygiene in view of COVID-19. All professionals participating in the dinners, both in the kitchen and in the dining room, will wear specific IPE protection equipment. Hand sanitiser dispensers will also be available in the different spaces, where the diners will be invited to proceed in certain directions to prevent cross contamination. Access to the dinners will be strictly controlled. The number of attendees has also been reduced to 60 people, as per current regulations, and seating at the tables will be distributed according to the bookings made and observing the recommended distance. All of these measures will make the Basque Culinary Center a safe space.