Girona will once again become the epicenter of gastronomy in February. From the 9th to the 11th, the 12th edition of the Fòrum Gastronòmic Girona will take place, a must-attend event for the restaurant, gastronomy, and Horeca sectors. It will bring together more than 200 companies and 150 speakers at the Palau de Fires and in the Devesa Park area. This year, escudella and carne de olla—one of the great symbols of Catalan cuisine—will be the focus of an edition that will celebrate tradition as a driving force for innovation and the future of cooking.

Chef Albert Adrià confesses to being "mentally strong" because he was able to rest for a month between December and January, which allowed him to travel to Málaga and China, where he visited restaurants and observed that "we owe a lot to France in terms of front-of-house service." In fact, he says, "Chinese restaurants either become Europeanized or they won't be great restaurants because they don't know how to bring one dish to the next." In contrast, in China, they bring all the dishes to the table at once, without order, as if we were eating tapas. However, in China, he "saw that a single dish can cost between 800 and 2,000 euros."

In its forty-year history, El Celler de Can Roca has transformed its dishes into icons of Catalan cuisine. Those who have never had the chance to try the Viaje a La Habana dessert, the apple and foie gras timbale, or the parmentier with Llobregant (three of the Roca brothers' signature dishes) can now do so. at the Esperit Roca restaurant, located in the Sant Julià CastleFor this reason, Raül Sillero (Blanes, 1987), the chef at the helm, considers that "Esperit Roca is the library of El Celler's dishes, and not one outlet "Last minute." Currently, the restaurant offers two tasting menus, just as it started: one consisting of six savory and two sweet dishes; and another with two savory and six sweet dishes. The prices are 140 euros (the sweet menu) and 170 euros (the savory menu), which is up to two hundred euros more than the previous year's menu.

In Portbou, the last town on the Costa Brava before crossing the border into Northern Catalonia, stands out one of the most unique and stimulating fine dining experiences in the Girona region. It's Voramar, a small, meticulously maintained restaurant by the sea, entirely managed by the Jamàs i Garbí family. which in 2025 earned its first Michelin starA recognition that They have renewed their contracts for 2026 this week.consolidating their position at the forefront of the Catalan gourmet scene. For all these reasons, they have been one of the winners of the new ARA Girona awards, named the 25 people from Girona who have scored in 2025, Delivered on November 12th.

This year, Albert Adrià's restaurant Enigma has managed to go from one to two stars. A year ago, and two years ago as well, popular predictions were that it would climb from one star to three. Some even compared it to chefs from other countries who had experienced a similar situation. But then came the star awards ceremonies, and Michelin left Albert Adrià out. Last year, to drive the point home, friends and family were so certain he would win three stars that when the chef of Casa Marcial appeared on stage, they mistook him for Adrià (from behind, he could resemble him) and he started receiving congratulatory messages on his phone. This happened to those watching the ceremony on YouTube, because those watching it live... They saw "the idiotic face" that Albert Adrià says he had when he realized, yet again, that he had not two or three stars, but that he still had one.. To continue, last summer, in the city of Turin, The English ranking The World's 50 Best Awards awarded the chef the Chefs Choice awardThis is what only chefs vote for on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, sponsored by Estrella Damm. This year, rumors suggested that Michelin would award Albert Adrià another accolade. Such is the pressure these lists and their awards carry; there are times of the year when everyone wins and everyone loses, but chefs, like Albert Adrià, maintain that the only real reward is filling the restaurant's dining room every single day.

Catalonia is by far the region in Spain with the most Michelin stars. It currently has 62 restaurants with at least one star; 48 restaurants with one star, 9 with two and 5 with three. In total, 81 starsLet's take a look at the six new additions, as well as the two restaurants that have been dropped, and the entries in the Bib Gourmand, the league of quality restaurants at more affordable prices. In fact, 80% of the restaurants on the list are either in this category or in the recommended category.

Not so many years ago, chefs found out they had won a Michelin star because a journalist called them or they simply saw it published in the newspaper. Now the event, which celebrates the 125th anniversary of the publication, is a spectacle with a red carpet, lights, a stage, speeches by politicians, and many sponsors. A sign of our times. In this context, the coveted Michelin stars were awarded in Malaga on Tuesday night, where the idea that "a star changes your life" was repeated several times.

The smell of bread, good bread, is noticeable from the moment you enter the Miramar restaurant (Paseo Marítimo, 7) in Llançà. It's like an invisible thread connecting the hotel rooms, with their sea views, to the restaurant. It ties everything together and makes you think of the French scientific studies that have confirmed that the smell of bread activates the brain's reward system, which is what makes you feel better. I mention this study to the Pérez-Serra family, and they tell me that The project to open a bread oven in the restaurant had always been the idea of the father, the chef Paco Pérez.The family is currently considering opening stores in other locations, such as the city of Barcelona.

"When people talk about the return of 'product-driven' cuisine, it makes me laugh. It's always been like this here; we've never strayed from product-driven cooking." Today, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to Can Bosch because we have to visit a true classic, a place that anyone who loves good food, and who isn't easily swayed by "fleeting snobbery," as Arnau Bosch describes it to me, simply must visit. We're in Cambrils, and I'm captivated by the lovely little trees at the entrance. Joan Bosch, the semi-retired patriarch, ensures they provide a warm welcome and reminds us that every detail matters here.

René Frank (1984, Wangen im Allgäu) is the dessert chef. Or the pastry chef of the kitchen. His Berlin restaurant Coda, with two Michelin stars, opened in 2016, and since then, accolades have poured in. Among others, he's been named the World's Best Pastry Chef by 50 Best and Best Pastry Chef by Best Chef. But now he's somewhat reluctant to have his establishment described as a "dessert restaurant." He's against rigid categories, and that's why, coming from a much more conservative region of Germany, he found his place in the world in Berlin.