Every forced act becomes unpleasant. The phrase, attributed to Aristotle, finds an exception in the act of eating. Feeding oneself is a biological imposition, a necessary refueling, but enjoying while eating is a different matter. Even more: that sensation, which naturally occurs both when dipping the spoon into grandma’s stew and when feeling the spheres burst upon closing the mouth, becomes an exercise in hedonism when the click happens: the moment of awareness. The channel Comer de La Vanguardia celebrated its tenth anniversary last night at the Azul restaurant, by Romain Fornell: “This is a night to eat, drink, and laugh with an incredible team of editors and collaborators who approach gastronomy in a transversal way. We try to tell stories about people to get to know them more intimately. This is a night to be happy.” Cristina Jolonch, whose name is a magic word for the attention of any professional in the field, resists appearing in this text beyond the obligatory mention. But it is impossible. The most renowned chefs approach her like bees to honey only to end up paying toll at this keyboard: Albert Adrià, Joan Roca, Carme Ruscalleda, Sergio Torres, Paco Pérez, Carles Abellán and Natalia Juan, Òscar Manresa, Carles Gaig, Fina Puigdevall and, naturally, the host, Romain Fornell. The mayor Jaume Collboni also attended. “Cristina Jolonch is the best advocate for our work; she is a person to listen to and who has a gift: she never judges and always supports.” At that moment, the director of Comer interrupts the dialogue, embarrassed. “No no no, I don’t want you to talk about me!”. Noblesse oblige.
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Carles Abellán and Natalia Juan bet on gastronomic journalism against that cloud of supposedly knowledgeable influencers who end up being simple gluttons with more face than backbone while Paco Pérez values the Comer channel as a new window that allows us to know the most human side of gastronomy. Carme Ruscalleda endorses the introduction of this chronicle: “Without eating we cannot live, but sitting down to eat is a playful, pleasurable, and cultural act that also supports a primary sector we must take care of.” During the evening, a video with Comer documentaries is shown . “With Samuel Aranda, World Press Photo 2011 winner, we started the series Without Reservations during the pandemic by visiting the chefs’ homes and getting to know them more closely,” explains Jolonch.
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Roca, Ruscalleda, Adrià, Abellán, Gaig, Fornell, Puigdevall, Torres… They are all fans of Comer
“Tonight is the anniversary of Comer and a celebration of Catalan gastronomy. And we are all here having a good time, which is also what it’s about,” confirms Albert Adrià. That “all” implies an implicit meaning: the chefs get along very well with each other. “There is rivalry, yes, but respect far outweighs it,” explains Adrià drawing an arc around with his blue gaze. Christian Escribà nods behind his characteristic plastic glasses while devouring wagyu cecina. Jovial Òscar Manresa joins the conversation. “We celebrate a project that dignifies the profession, the cuisine, and that gives us a voice to reach the public,” points out Manresa. “And also Cristina’s own work for everything she does. She is an essential figure in gastronomic journalism.” While the reader moves on to the next sentence, the director of Comer shrinks with pure embarrassment.”
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