Les Cols, the dream that puts La Garrotxa on your plate: “We produce vegetables and mental well-being”

Bianya Valley / OlotThe mill wheels turn thanks to the force of the water in the reservoir behind it. If the power went out, we wouldn't notice. Just like in 1521, when the little house we're in was built. We're in the Bianya Valley, where there used to be 50 mills. Every important house had one. The building has windows so the miller could see when the water arrived. Halters located on the spillway would alert him. It was time to take advantage of the water's full force to grind. Buckwheat, corn, barley.

The current mill isn't the original; it's been restored with antique parts by Carlos Nogareda, a skilled local from Garrotxa, one of those who finds solutions for everything. He's the one who will start the mill up in front of us. The wheels begin to turn, and the grain flows out through the millrace. Cutting-edge technology from the 16th century.

This little gem was part of the La Boada farmhouse. Besides the miller's door, there's another small gate where the shepherd lived. It wasn't until many years later that a couple came to live there, who ended up having three daughters: Clara, Martina, and Carlota. He was a lawyer, and she a cook. And a few years later, they would become world-renowned figures in gastronomy. Fina Puigdevall and Manel Puigvert couldn't fit their three daughters in the house where the mill stands. So they asked an architecture firm, from Garrotxa like themselves and of the same generation, to renovate the house so they wouldn't be so cramped. The architects, the RCR firm, said that the house couldn't be touched, that it had to be preserved as it was. And they began a monumental project right there, the Casa Hortizó. We've had it next to the mill the whole time, but we haven't noticed it. It's the perfect integration of landscape and technology. From the outside, it's almost invisible. From the inside, you never know if you're inside or outside. A project that justifies RCR receiving the most prestigious award in its field, the Pritzker Prize.

Next door are horses, chickens, the vegetable garden, and sheep. And a pile of manure from Carlos Nogareda's cows, who, in addition to supplying milk to the Les Cols restaurant, is also Fina Puigdevall's cousin. Those of us who work in food journalism have seen this vegetable garden featured many times. It's one of the prides of this Olot restaurant. Many establishments now boast of having one, but in few is it as genuine and demonstrable as here. It's spearheaded by the naturalist Miquel Macias, a wise man who sees beyond the obvious. He combines traditional and regenerative agriculture. "What's always been done is still valid; there's no need to change it much," he says. The garden has a productive function, of course, to supply the restaurant, but also a landscape and philosophical one. We found a bench to sit on for a moment each day and observe how the harvest is progressing. A moment to be present. "We produce vegetables and mental well-being," he says. The guided tour of the vegetable garden is open to the public from noon onwards for restaurant customers who wish to participate.

We find ourselves nestled between two protected natural areas, with extraordinary soil and primeval forests of holm oak, oak, and beech. They encourage the presence of animals that can contribute to the crops. Chickens, for example, help. All kinds of insects, too. "We try to ensure that invertebrates always have a place at the table," he says. However, one day the sheep ate the cabbages. Things don't always go smoothly. Then they have to buy from other farmers in the area, and thus "the restaurant's economy extends throughout the region," he explains. "We must eliminate the barriers between nature and culture. Culture cannot be a lifeless island," argues Macias, who also relies on the collection of mushrooms, flowers, and wild plants to supply Les Cols.

Flowers, in fact, are very much present in the restaurant's cuisine. Proof of this is the bouquet prepared by the Puigdevall Puigvert sisters. We are now inside Casa Horizonte. We entered through an excavated path. We arrive at an imposing reddish metal structure. Here, rust is intentional. Everything is alive and evolving. We take a freight elevator up to the house. I remember seeing it on the program Between four walls by Núria Moliner, on the 3Cat website, where Martina Puigvert showcased it. Today we are fortunate enough to be able to visit it because Fina Puigdevall is opening its doors to the members of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition, an institution she has joined as an academic, and at the same time allowing the press to accompany them in this activity, which has been a resounding success.

A place to think

The Horizon House leaves everyone speechless. The minimalism of the space, the abundant natural light, and the interplay of the large windows that can be either open or closed, completely blur the distinction between inside and outside. The house serves as a space for thought and creation; it's the R&D hub for Les Cols. Inside, concealed within cabinets, are a library, all the necessary utensils, and a kitchen for creating dishes. The library contains cookbooks, as well as books on other subjects that can serve as inspiration. According to Manel Puigvert, the Horizon House fosters "a state of connection with nature: it's a spiritual place where creativity flourishes in a sea of ​​silence and contemplation."

Inside the house, there are few objects: a brown sofa, a leather BKF Butterfly armchair, an imposing fireplace, a baby grand piano, and a long table, reminiscent of the one we'll later find in the restaurant, a tribute to the hospitality of the Catalan farmhouse. In this shared space that begins inside the house and ends outside, I devour the bouquet of flowers accompanied by a sauce made with three different olives. On the horizon, I see the church of Sant Pere Despuig and think that from there the house will be practically invisible. The bouquet of flowers is one of the dishes that can be enjoyed on the restaurant's menu, as are the corn-based appetizers, which allude to the mill where we began. "The dishes are much better in this atmosphere," says Manel Puigvert.

Fina's mother was from the Bianya Valley, and her father from Olot, where the restaurant is located, and where we traveled. It's curious how, under completely different circumstances, they've replicated the same formula that blends tradition and modernity. The 15th-century farmhouse, the chickens outside, and inside, the intervention of Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta, which came about as a result of the cook's request for a window in the kitchen. We find the same idea of ​​a long table, but the one in the restaurant is gilded. Next to it, we see the wine cellar, making use of the farmhouse's stable. Part of the dining room overlooks the large window through which you can see the chickens roaming freely.And in the kitchen, there's not just a window, but an opening with a small pond where birds often perch. Integrated into the farmhouse garden, the event space begins, which, once the trees leaf out, is also hidden. Methacrylate boards make the plates and cutlery appear to float. A grand space that, again, depending on where you are, seems to disappear. But its most distinctive feature is the natural light. It allows you to follow the evolution of the day. A good idea, considering that events tend to be very long.

A restaurant with a feminine touch

In the restaurant, the tasting menu unfolds. Today, the whole family is here to join us. Manel Puigvert explains that "Les Cols is a dream. It's in the farmhouse where Fina was born. My father-in-law modestly said, 'Let the customers come in through the farmhouses, and we'll see how long it lasts.'" In May, it will celebrate its 36th anniversary. The renovations were carried out by RCR when she was 10 years old. "Fina is very intuitive at creating that contrast between tradition and innovation. She cooks with local products, but explains them in a different way," he says.

Fina Puigdevall tells us about her three daughters, the present and future of Les Cols, demonstrating that it's a restaurant with a "feminine touch." Clara is a philologist, art historian, and sommelier. Martina and Carlota are both cooks. Their father makes it clear that they've dedicated themselves to it because they wanted to.

They serve cauliflower, nettle, bay leaf, artichoke, Santa Pau beans, peas, lamb, mimosa, ricotta... They proudly champion humble ingredients and work to make them exuberant. Manel Puigvert describes it this way: "It's a cuisine where the word is important." mysticismThe mystique of the landscape, of the humble producer. A cuisine that hints at something. But that is loving, like her [referring to his wife, Fina Puigdevall]. That embraces and gives the best of herself.” Manel Puigvert gets emotional when he talks about his life partner. And we all do with him.