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The legendary three-Michelin-star Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca has teamed up with BBVA to launch Sustainable Gastronomy, an initiative to promote healthy eating and support local farmers.
Subscribers to the Sustainable Gastronomy platform will receive a box of locally-sourced seasonal ingredients, and receive instructions from the Roca brothers on how to turn them into something delicious.
The project, in partnership with Spanish financial services giant BBVA, aims to educate people about the importance and benefits of eating the right way, especially in a post-pandemic world. Empowering the consumer with the knowledge and the skills to source the right ingredients and get the best out of them is seen as a fundamental part of the transition to a sustainable food system.
“We aim to achieve this harmony by striking an economic, social and environmental balance, supporting local, carefully selected, top-rate products while also fostering healthy habits based on healthy food, explaining the properties of each in-season product and providing both culinary and health suggestions,” explained Joan Roca, owner of El Celler de Can Roca.
The project is a self-financing initiative and subscribers can join for a monthly fee of €70, starting in July. Subscribers receive a box of ingredients, hand-selected by the Roca brothers, as well as access to their recipes and online instructions.
Duck with cherry sauce for the month of July
For July, Joan Roca has selected duck legs and breast from Ànec 5 Aglans in the Catalan region of Berguedà. The Aylesbury ducks, a pure breed, are known for their resistance to disease, which means they can be raised without vaccines and other medical treatments. The flavour of the meat is enhanced by the duck’s well-being and diet of corn and acorns.
Support for small farmers and producers is especially important now after the pandemic and the shock to the supply chain. “The current situation should lead to a change in attitude in all of us. We should be much more aware of the importance of health and of respect for the environment, and conscious of the fact that we need to preserve natural resources and recognise the efforts of the people working on the land and at sea. A social recovery should be green, inclusive and resilient,” said Roca.
