The BBVA-El Celler de Can Roca tour comes to an end

The 2015 BBVA-El Celler de Can Roca tour kicked off in Buenos Aires on August 1. After their stay in the capital of Argentina, the entire team -40 kitchen and dining area professionals- traveled to Miami, Birmingham and Houston in the United States. The last stop on the tour has been Istanbul. At each city they prepared a menu with different dishes that paid tribute to the local culinary traditions.

In this second edition they served around 30,000 dishes to some 1,600 diners. The tour traveled 64,000 km on three continents: from America to Europe and, with the inclusion of Turkey, to Asia. According to Joan Roca, it has been a very positive experience: “On this tour we were able to learn, we found inspiration and we also acted as ambassadors for our cuisine, for our culture. It's been a highly enriching tour”.

During the tour, the Roca brothers used the most characteristic ingredients of Turkish, American and Argentinean cuisine. In this way, they ere able to prepare new takes on traditional dishes such as "choripán" in Argentina; new versions of Jordi Roca's desserts like “Trip to Havana” (in Miami), or new creations such as “Fried Green Tomatoes” (in Birmingham) or “Houston, What Does the Moon Taste Like?” (alluding to the NASA facilities in the Texan city).

According to the maitre d' and sommelier of the best restaurant in the world, Josep Roca, it was worthwhile repeating the experience: “We departed on August 1 with our suitcases empty and we now feel exhausted, but with a feeling of having enjoyed this tour thoroughly, of having learned a great deal, of listening. Our suitcases are now full of ideas and we are deeply satisfied with everything we've learned”.

Jordi, the younger brother and pastry chef, is very happy with the tour: “We've been traveling for one month and haven't stopped learning, getting to know the sweetest side of each place we visited: Argentina, the United States and Turkey. We are taking with us many sweet memories, many experiences, but also many things we've learned that will no doubt become a part of the El Celler de Can Roca’s cuisine”.

The 2015 BBVA-El Celler de Can Roca 2015 has left memorable moments. From the warm welcome at the Spanish Embassy in Buenos Aires or the resounding success of the dish Messi's Goal, to the wonderful cultural and gastronomic wealth that inspired the Roca brothers in Istanbul, where more than 300 catering students packed the conferences and classes given by Joan Roca. There were also unforgettable scenes in the U.S. with two dinners on board the SeaFair yacht in Miami or the visit to the NASA headquarters in Houston. Birmingham, in Alabama, provided the southern accent.

A social tour

BBVA and El Celler de Can Roca were also assisted by various catering schools, from which two young students in each city were selected to enjoy a four-month grant at the world's best restaurant in Girona.

The goal is to promote local talent by offering the students the opportunity to learn with the world's best in an experience that will no doubt have a lasting influence on their professional careers as chefs. The three brothers also trained hundreds of students through conferences in the cities visited during the tour and at the main catering schools.

The Turkish Way, a new film portraying the tour

Coinciding with the end of their tour, the Roca brothers also completed the shooting of the documentary The Turkish Way, the second part of the full-length film Cooking up a Tribute, which premiered at the Berlin film festival and is currently being screened at the main film festivals around the world. This road cooking movie featuring the Roca brothers and produced by BBVA Contenidos will close the gastronomic cinema section of the San Sebastián Festival next September 25. On the BBVA and El Celler de Can Roca website (elcellerdecanroca.bbva.com) you can download the first 10 minutes of the documentary.