Farewell to a bridge between thought and cooking

Paco Solé Parellada He was a beloved and essential figure in Catalan gastronomy and culture. Owner of the 7 Portes restaurant, an engineer, economist, professor, and curious soul, he was much more than a restaurateur..He was a Renaissance man. With boundless curiosity, a generous heart, and a dazzling intelligence, he knew how to connect seemingly distant worlds—cuisine and academia, history and business, popular culture and gastronomy—with an open, rigorous, and deeply humanistic perspective.

Born in 1943, Paco was a truly extraordinary man. One innkeeper Committed in heart, mind, and action to Catalan cuisine, its heritage, and its history. It was from 7 Portes—a living reference point for Catalan cuisine since 1836—that he built a much more ambitious project: to make the restaurant a meeting place and shared memory that has become a cultural facility for the city, Fidel to the kitchen.

promoted the 7 Doors Collection, a publishing gem that revives old Catalan cookbooks with an educational and scientific spirit. I still remember how his eyes lit up when he discussed his latest discovery, published in volume 10 of the cookbook: "It's the definitive confirmation that mayonnaise is our sauce!" From the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy, he promoted values such as sustainability, research, and the transmission of knowledge. In 2024, he was recognized with the National Gastronomy Award for Traditional Cuisine.

But beyond his work, everyone who knew him holds an intellectually intimate and affectionate memory. He played the piano and was a tireless conversationalist, a passionate reader, a clever draftsman, and a man with a subtle and warm sense of humor, capable of making people laugh and think at the same time. He had the rare gift of truly listening.

With his death, we lose a bridge between thought and cuisine, between culture and everyday life. But his legacy—in the kitchen, in books, in classrooms, and in so many hearts—lives on. Rest in peace, Paco. Your memory will always be with us.