BBVA-El Celler de Can Roca Culinary Tour
Chefs at No. 1 restaurant in the world reveal ingredients for client dinners.
BBVA Compass culinary tour partner El Celler de Can Roca, named No. 1 by Restaurant magazine on this year’s influential World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, revealed a small taste of the ingredients the Roca brothers will use to prepare a series of exclusive client dinners during their BBVA Tour 2015 toArgentina, the U.S. andTurkey.
Head chefJoan Rocaand pastry chefJordi Rocawill recreate the experience from their Girona,Spain-based restaurant exclusively for bank clients, preparing 51 dishes paired with wines hand-selected by sommelierJosep Roca. The world tour beginsinBuenos Aires, where the chefs will prepare culinary dishes that incorporate local Argentine products and ingredients, such as the lamb from the province of Salta, black hake, mate, cheese and quince, along with reinterpretations of traditional plates including alfajores, choripan or chimichurri.
The tour then moves to the U.S., making stops inMiamionAug. 12-13aboard the SeaFairMiami, a luxury yacht; inBirmingham, Ala., onAug. 18-19at a private country club; and inHoustononAug. 24, 25 and 26 at Caracol, one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants. The chefs will prepare different specialties for each city, incorporating new versions of some of their classical recipes and new creations, from the «Viaje a La Habana (Trip toHavana)» dessert inMiami; Fried Green Tomatoes inBirmingham; and «Que Sabe Luna (Tastes of the Moon)» inHouston.
The world tour comes to a close inIstanbul, Turkey, fromAug. 31 to Sept. 3at the SALT Galata building. Dishes there will include kebab, lokum (Turkish delight) and ayran (yogurt beverage).
The second BBVA-sponsored gastronomic tour is part of the bank’s three-year partnership with El Celler de Can Roca. As part of that partnership, the Roca brothers will select two culinary students for scholarships from each country with the purpose of fostering local culinary talent. The selected students will receive a four-month scholarship at the Rocas’ restaurant inSpain. ElCeller de Can Rocareceives more than 400 internship applications annually. In addition, the trio will train hundreds of students through conferences in each city included on the 2015 tour.
The members of El Celler de Can Roca also recently celebrated the end of filming «The Turkish Way,» the second part of the epicurean documentary «Cooking up a Tribute,» released at the 65thBerlinFilm Festival and currently being shown at the world’s major film festivals.
