TMC industry leadership conference: Tomorrow Tastes Mediterranean
UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA
Wed 16 Oct 09.00 - 19.00
University of Barcelona Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 585 08007 Barcelona
WHAT: The Torribera Mediterranean Center (TMC), a joint project of the University of Barcelona and The Culinary Institute of America, is hosting its first international industry leadership conference October 15-16 in Barcelona. Tomorrow Tastes Mediterranean aims to help the restaurant and foodservice industry better understand and transfer the healthful, sustainable, and cultural principles of the Mediterranean Diet into menus and products suited to the demands of 21st century consumers. Some of the world’s foremost scholars and chefs specialists of the Mediterranean region will provide the framework necessary to translate theory into practice and create foods that are healthy for people, planet, and profit.
WHEN and WHERE October 15: experiential activities throughout Barcelona (see below for options) October 16, 8:30h-19h: presentations and panels, lunch and coffee breaks, at Edificio Histórico, University of Barcelona
FOR WHOM: Chefs and foodservice professionals; research and development chefs; food industry professionals; culinary educators and gastronomy professors; scientists; nutritionists and dieticians; food scientists and technologists; tourism and hospitality professionals; food, health, nutrition, sustainability, and tourism communication specialists and journalists; and students of all these disciplines or who are interested in careers in those fields. WHY: The Mediterranean Diet is unquestionably one of the world’s healthiest, not to mention delicious, ways to eat. Its benefits to our physical and mental health are settled science, as leading researchers from all over the globe, from Harvard to the University of Barcelona, have been proving for decades. Yet, the Mediterranean dietary principles—tied to traditional, regional cultural models from the 1960s and earlier—are often not followed as they should be, even in Mediterranean countries. That is particularly true in restaurants, foodservice, and food manufacturing, even though its core elements, such as plant-forward flavors and dishes, are gaining popularity and marketing appeal among chefs and consumers. So, how do we make the Mediterranean Diet—based on the olive oil kitchen and rich in fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains—a 21st century project? How do we show that its dietary principles are fundamentally applicable to a 21st century way of eating, which is more rushed yet more health conscious, more focused on sustainability than ever? How do we design menus and food products that correspond to customers’ aspirations—and by the way, what are those aspirations? Tomorrow Tastes Mediterranean will address those key questions, among many others, to provide the business and culinary strategies you need to position yourself for a new generation of consumers who want delicious, healthier, environmentally friendly food and menu choices.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
*free morning activity* Spanish Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Guided Tasting, organized by Olive Oils from Spain: A unique opportunity to identify olive oil aromas and flavor and to understand the different olive oils available on the market, their health benefits, and their nutritional properties. Spain's olive oil expert, Alfonso Fernández-López, oleologist, nutritionist, and founder of Sabor de España, will discuss all of this, plus using four different varieties of Spanish extra-virgin olive oils in the kitchen and in food pairings. 9h-11h, BCN Kitchen @ La Boqueria (Rambla 91 - Mercado de La Boqueria, Edificio Administrativo, 3rd floor. Once you are at the main gate of the Boqueria Market, walk along the central aisle, between the shops, to the end and go up to the third floor), free.
*activitad gratis de la mañana* Cata magistral de Aceite de Oliva Virgen Extra Español, organizada por Aceites de Oliva de España: Una oportunidad única para identificar aromas y sabores de los aceites de oliva virgen extra españoles; para entender los distintos tipos de aceites de oliva que existen en el mercado; conocer los beneficios saludables, las propiedades nutricionales de los aceites de oliva virgen extra, sus usos en la cocina y los mejores maridajes, de la mano del experto español, Alfonso Fernández-López, catador, nutricionista y fundador de Sabor de España, que guiará una cata organoléptica de cuatro diferentes variedades de AOVEs de España. Organizada por Aceites de Oliva de España. 9h-11h, BCN Kitchen @ La Boqueria (Rambla 91 - Mercado de La Boqueria, Edificio Administrativo, 3a Planta. Una vez te encuentras en la puerta principal del Mercado de la Boquería, camina por el camino central, entre las paradas, hasta el final y sube a la tercera planta), gratis.
*free afternoon activity* Guided Tour of the University of Barcelona's Historic Building, with special viewing of 14th and 15th century cookbooks from the university non-public library. 15h30-16h30. Free.
