Tomás de la Paz, Chilean by birth, will never forget how it all began with Gastón Acurio. “About twenty-five years ago, I showed up at the door of one of his restaurants in Peru, knocked, and blurted out: ‘I want to learn!’”. That audacity, almost unconsciously, changed his life forever. “After three months, he had already sent me to another establishment in Lima… and here I am today,” he recalls with a smile that still holds the spark of that first impulse.

Three days before the start of the confinement due to Covid-19, Sergi Poyatos received the keys to what was to be his home and the gastronomic meeting point for all the people of Cervelló. Let's remember how we suffered and the vital and economic consequences that the pandemic had for everyone, but at the same time we saw that the world does not stop and, in July of that same year, El Secret del Vell opened its doors in Cervelló, a municipality that originates with the castle of Cervelló in the early 10th century.However, in 1714, the Catalan defeat in the War of Succession symbolized the end of an era. Among the first consequences of the conflict was the destruction of the castle, ordered by Philip V. The construction of the road between Barcelona and Valencia, in the second half of the 18th century, favored the formation of the grouped nucleus of Cervelló and marked the beginning of the town we know today.But let's leave history for another day and focus on Sergi's cuisine. We begin the meal with a taste of acorn "morcón" elaborated according to Sergi's family's traditional recipe. Originally from Cuenca and Extremadura, every year, for four generations, they return to their starting point to do the slaughter. We continue with "escalivada" aubergines from the Agrarian Park with goat cheese, hazelnuts, and their praline, and a dish of veal tripe with "capipota" and pork trotters. We are faced with a proposal based on good product, curious, and very well cooked.The main courses are house classics: steak tartare of aged Galician beef fillet, the famous cod pil-pil in homage to a centenarian client, and a rice dish with acorn-fed pork ribs, porcini mushrooms, and black sausage from a family slaughter. We ordered the rice after seeing it was a majority dish on many tables. The rib one was sublime, but we were left with the desire to try the seafood rice with squid, clams, and red shrimp. It will be a good excuse to return. The wine that accompanied us was Abadia de Poblet, from Conca de Barberà. A Santa Teresa toast in the Catalan style and a gin and tonic ice cream with Bulldog gelatin, lemon air, and red berries concluded a great lunch.A project to reconcile

After a very demanding service, we sit down with Sergi to talk about family, the town, cooking, and secrets. “I am a thirty-five-year-old family man, I have been living in Cervelló for fifteen years and I have a total family unit. The three things I like most are being a father, being my wife’s partner, and the restaurant business. I created the project ‘El Secret del Vell’ to be able to reconcile everything”, he tells us with the demeanor and tone of a happy guy. The team is very important: Sergi, Annuar, and Àlex in the kitchen, and Danae and José Luis in the dining room. The restaurant is divided into three spaces: a dining room with seven tables, a private room for eight diners, and a very nice interior terrace.Sergi began studying Art History, but his passion was cooking. His family is in the trade and, after studying and working in various renowned kitchens, he decided to start his own project. Cooking is his passion and the house that hosts his restaurant, his devotion. It is one of the first houses that was part of the beginning of Cervelló as a town; it was called the "basket makers' house" and is dated from the year 1793.Hey! We almost forgot to tell you about the secret, but we'll leave that for when you go. Ask Sergi about it: his face lights up when he explains it. A promise: you will eat very well.

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Carpanta is an iconic comic strip character created in 1947 by Josep Escobar to depict the essential deprivations suffered by a large part of the population in post-war Spain. Carpanta was starving, and his comics humorously and satirically narrated his attempts to find food. He almost never succeeded, but his vitality allows us to glimpse a very particular kind of happiness that enabled him to survive the misery of his own world. Escobar presents us with a famished character, but never a miserable one. He harshly criticizes a period of hardship and inequality in a space designed primarily to elicit a smile. Happiness involves a very personal perception, and Carpanta's is no exception. Therefore, with the character still present in the collective memory, we will pay tribute to him by indulging in a feast at the restaurant that bears his name.

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Xavier is proud of his past, his present, and also the future he is building. Of the past, because he fondly remembers his early days working at the family restaurant. He still cherishes small details from that time, like the stool behind the bar. "It was gray, and I served my first coffees to customers on it when I was just eight years old." He is the second generation of Cal Moreu, in Centelles, a restaurant that his grandparents and parents opened in 1977. "It's a farmhouse dating back to 1700 that my great-grandparents bought to turn into a home and farmhouse," Xavier explains. The origin of the restaurant's name is also curious. "Before, in old Catalan, oxen were called Moreos"And there used to be a lot of them here. We said it so often, the name just stuck," he says, laughing. Today, Can Moreu is thriving: the restaurant is packed every day thanks to the excellence of its cuisine. "100% Catalan. We make stews, escalivadas, calçots... everything Catalan."

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What is incorrect? Beyond conventional norms, each of us sees the world through our own unique lens. It's true that, in order to coexist, we adapt to certain established codes and stereotypes, but it's equally true that we need to preserve critical thinking and act in accordance with our own beliefs. From this interplay of thought and freedom, the restaurant Incorrecte was born in the upscale area of ​​Barcelona. At the helm is Marcel Pons, a native of Corberó and recently turned thirty, who has taken the plunge to launch his culinary project.

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Rosa and Jordi understand each other with a single glance. While he manages the dining room, she runs the kitchen. But despite occupying different spaces, they never lose sight of each other. They are a perfectly oiled machine, a tandem that makes their restaurant, Binomio de Sant Just, run like clockwork.

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Yoshizumi Yamashita is the pioneer of Japanese cuisine in Spain. In 1978, he opened Yamadori and, eleven years later, Yashima on Josep Tarradellas Avenue, which has become one of the city's leading Japanese restaurants. Now formally retired, he still visits the restaurant regularly, ensuring that everything runs with the precision that has always characterized him. He went through the always challenging process of personal and professional integration in his adopted country. His children have grown up here, between two cultures they feel are their own. Rona manages the restaurant; Daisuke is the sushi chef. The second generation is at the helm of a project that maintains its unwavering commitment to authenticity.

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Maury Lucero is a descendant of Basque and Aragonese immigrants who left for Argentina after the Civil War. His grandfather, a butcher in Bilbao, managed to open and run several butcher shops. Maury, originally from Mendoza, inherited one as the first grandson, but at twenty-two he sold it to start a new life in Argentina. "It was the time of the playpen"around 1999. My friends who had emigrated before told me that there was work here and I needed a change of scenery."

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Cornellà de Llobregat, the second largest city in the Baix Llobregat region, has been undergoing a quiet but steady transformation in its culinary scene for years. In this city, it's not just about eating well; it's about eating with pride. More and more locals and visitors alike are choosing to dine at its restaurants, drawn by honest cuisine, reasonable prices, and inviting spaces that encourage leisurely dining. Within this burgeoning culinary landscape, some establishments have established themselves as benchmarks. One such example is undoubtedly the restaurant Més de Grandi. Located on the Hospitalet road, it opened its doors in 2007, the brainchild of Eduardo de Grandi. The restaurant is the natural evolution of a smaller, earlier establishment, known simply as De Grandi. "I used to have a smaller restaurant, and when I decided to renovate, everyone kept saying, 'I hope you make it bigger,' 'Make it bigger!' And that's exactly what happened. That's also where the name came from," explains the owner with a smile that conveys pride and a sense of connection with the clientele.

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The decor at Carballeira is designed to transport you to the interior of a ship, but it's clear that you don't come here to sail, but rather to enjoy the finest seafood that Barcelona has to offer. The restaurant opened its doors in 1944 and, despite changes in ownership, has managed to maintain its original essence for over eighty years. Those who have been around for a while will remember that the old Barcelona customs house was located right next door. The sea is very close, as is the mouth of Via Laietana.

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Sagrario came to Barcelona for love. A love that knows nothing of maps or fears; the kind that packs your suitcase without knowing what you'll find on the other side. Living in Cartagena, she met a boy doing his military service and fell hopelessly in love with him. He had his life in Barcelona; she was only seventeen. To go with him, she needed her father's signature: permission almost impossible in those days for a girl who wanted to truly start living. Finally, her father reluctantly signed it, thanks to her mother's patience and firm character. Always mothers.

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José María Calzón, one of the most important living legends in the history of RCD Espanyol, recommended, in his own way, that we go to El Picoteo de Can Domingo: "Kids! Haven't I gone yet?"Fifty-eight, fifty, and forty years old are the age of each of us, but to him we're still children. When it comes to food, you always have to listen to José María, so we went."

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Felipe González has opened a restaurant in the Sant Andreu neighborhood of Barcelona. Don't worry: it's not the famous politician. It's Felipe, a Chilean who arrived in Catalonia thirteen years ago determined to make his dreams a reality, and who shares a surname with the former Socialist leader. Before landing in Spain, his journey took him through several restaurants in San Francisco. There he learned to cook Korean dishes and, almost without realizing it, his passion for gastronomy was awakened.

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Brunyola and Sant Martí Sapresa (Girona) is a municipality that unified its name in 2018. Until then, Brunyola was the main town, while Sant Martí Sapresa was an attached village, along with a number of farmhouses and scattered houses. In 1950, the Valls family began running the restaurant we are visiting today. The grandparents were the first owners, followed by their parents. Now it is managed by David Valls (cleaner, son, chef, and director), along with Marta Vilà (David's partner and head waiter). It is a family restaurant with a commitment to serving the community and a social conscience deeply rooted in the local area.

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Like any family, work colleagues, or close-knit group, we also have a Christmas lunch. However, this year we wanted to make it a big one: we're celebrating the 15th anniversary of the ARA and the 8th anniversary of the... Not a single day at homeFurthermore, we are lucky enough to have been born in a fantastic country, to be able to work doing what we love, and consequently, to be privileged enough to enjoy the finest cuisine. And, as if that weren't enough, we can tell you all about it. This year's choice is Alkimia, by Jordi Vilà.

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Jesús was born in Barceloneta sixty-seven years ago, specifically on Grau i Torras street next to Sant Miquel beach. This central spot in the neighborhood was once home to numerous beach bars, all of which were demolished in the early nineties due to the coastal law to make way for the seafront promenade. The Olympic dream was reclaiming the beach with a sea-level promenade and, with the blows of bulldozers, erasing an iconic image of the Barcelona coastline. Our host is a son of Barcelona's old fishing quarter, the owner of El Pescadito Frito (The Little Fried Fish), and his surnames are Barrio Pesquero (Fishing Quarter). And that's no joke!

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Seven years ago, Josep and his son Daniel decided to open a restaurant in the heart of the mountains. And we mean that without exaggeration: Mirador de Can Pi is located right on the Sant Miquel route, on the path leading to the Sant Daniel valley, entering through the Sant Pere de Galligants monastery. In this corner surrounded by forest, father and son gave shape to a simple dream: to serve traditional dishes, the kind of home cooking that has always been a tradition. A year later, Josep retired, and Daniel Crespo took on the challenge alone. He didn't want to break with his father's essence, but rather give it a fresh twist: maintaining the tradition, but with a more modern touch. His big idea was to bring back wild plants and give them center stage in the kitchen. "I know it's nothing new, that grandmothers already did it, that they already used them. But I wanted to cook with these natural ingredients, which are readily available here," he explains.

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Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Vivien Leigh, Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, and many others were often found at number 30 Enric Granados Street in Barcelona. Younger Barcelonans reading this might be amazed, but older folks will remember that Vídeo Instan, arguably the best video rental store in Spain, was located at that address. Many of us discovered the best of Hollywood cinema by buying and renting films on VHS or Beta.

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Antonia isn't a professional chef, but cooking has always been her calling. She learned by instinct, watching her mother move among the pots and pans. Even today, so many years later, she remembers the aroma of the stews that filled the house and the almost choreographed hustle and bustle of cooking for seven children. La Vuelta del Rector is, at its core, a living tribute to Grandma Ignacia, Antonia's mother. Each dish holds a piece of her memory, as if tasting them allows you to glimpse, for a moment, that family kitchen where it all began.

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When Urruti saved Mágico González's famous penalty, securing a La Liga title for Barça eleven years later, Ferran was barely a toddler. It was March 24, 1985, when thousands of Catalans heard the unforgettable phrase popularized by the legendary Joaquim Maria Puyal, who, from Valladolid, exclaimed "Urruti, I love you!" to celebrate the Barça goalkeeper's historic save in the 87th minute. Now, more than forty years later, Ferran López, owner of La Barriteca, a home-style restaurant in Poblenou, offers a dessert on his menu with this name: "Urruti was a regular at a restaurant owned by some friends in San Sebastián, and he always ordered this dessert [orange juice, vanilla ice cream, and Grand Marnier]," he explains. Barça and gastronomy are his two great passions. Throughout his life he has been able to learn from some of the best chefs, such as Paco Pérez or Martín Berasategui, until finding a place in Poblenou where he could make the project he had always dreamed of a reality.

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