There is a summer night that forever changed the life of Carme Ruscalleda: July 1, 1988. “It was the day the Sant Pau restaurant opened its doors, and my husband, Toni, and I made our debut as restaurateurs. It's a night etched in memory.” Over time, Carme Ruscalleda would become the woman with the most Michelin stars in the world – seven, no less – but on that July 1st, success still seemed far off.

Journalist Helena Garcia Melero recalled the sandwiches her grandmother Rosa, born in Teruel, used to make for her when she was in school. She would prepare them with leftovers from the previous night's dinner, so she would "make croquette sandwiches and hake sandwiches with olives." "I always thought I was the odd one out, because the rest of my classmates brought sandwiches made with sliced bread," she explained. However, everything changed one day when her best friend, Meri, asked if her grandmother could make one for her too. From then on, Garcia Melero brought two to school. This anecdote, along with many others, was shared by the TV3 journalist at a round table discussion organized by the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition, which also included chefs Carme Ruscalleda and Carlota Puigvert, and homemaker Casilda Agenjo. The title was "Women and Gastronomy: Talent Has No Gender," and it was moderated by journalist Antoni Bassas, who also shared a personal anecdote about the aromas of broth that delight his children as soon as they enter the house. All of this took place at theFrancesca Bonnemaison Space, the patron who founded a library to encourage women to leave the house.

"Things always happen in July," says Carme Ruscalleda. It was on July 1, 1988, 37 years ago, that she crossed Nou Street in Sant Pol de Mar, from her home to the opposite sidewalk, to start her own business with her husband, Toni Balam. The result was Sant Pau, the three-star restaurant that marked a turning point in Catalan gastronomy. "I can still feel that commitment, that nervousness of starting a new business," she says, because neither of them had previously considered opening a restaurant as a possibility. "When they told us we had to open a restaurant, I said no way, and look how crazy I am," she quips. They took the plunge thanks to her parents' store, a supermarket that was already modern and creative at the time. They wanted to "put a table inside the store," but then the opportunity arose to buy the premises where Sant Pau is located, and they took the plunge.

Who would eat a stew in summer? As soon as you write and pronounce its name, we already sweat. However, cold soups are the dish of the season: subtle, refreshing, and they have the ability to make use of the bits of ingredients left over in the kitchen from other prepared dishes. Soups are a sustainable resource: you have a piece of leek, an onion, and a pear, you help it with mineral water and a touch of perfume to enhance the flavors, and you already have one to eat with a spoon. In this regard, chef Carme Ruscalleda proposes cooking four traditional soups, classics of local and international cuisine that will always be current and, in turn, allow for personal experimentation, so that everyone can finish them with their personal touch.