Cervezas 1906 presents the second stage of ‘Imperfectxs: Gastronomy for an immense minority’, a dissemination project on sustainability that brings us closer on this occasion to the Galician chef Pepe Solla (Casa Solla, Pontevedra), who represents like no one else the concept of Collaborative Cooking, a formula to generate wealth and value in the local community through the alliance with suppliers and other colleagues of profession.
In his exclusive masterclass, now available on the Imperfectxsplatform, Solla explains his close relationship with a diverse network of close collaborators, ranging from a fisherman to a ceramist and a musician.
Cervezas 1906, a non-conformist brand by nature, is immersed in a project that arises from the recognition of its own imperfection and the conviction that, in terms of sustainability, it is always possible to do better. With this humble but ambitious philosophy, it has launched a large collaborative community with gastronomy and positive impact as the main protagonists. Imperfectxs: Gastronomy for an immense minority is a platform with an informative purpose, open to both professionals in the sector and the general public, which invites us to take sides as agents of change and advance together in respect for the environment.
The initiative aims to share projects that contribute to the conservation of our environment and disseminate good practices in relation to local development, biodiversity, cooking for social purposes, the use of resources, energy saving and healthy eating. Hand in hand with great chefs as ambassadors and disseminators, and with a vocation for continuity, Imperfectxs was launched in June by chef Diego Guerrero with a masterclass on zero waste and “trash cooking”.
PEPE SOLLA: STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Pepe Solla, owner of Casa Solla, in Poio (Pontevedra) declares himself to be a part of this immense minority of imperfect people; a Michelin star and three Repsol Suns chef. The restaurant, founded in 1961 by his parents, was awarded the star in 1980 and maintains it since then, which makes him the dean of Galicia in the Michelin Guide and one of the oldest in Spain. The chef now presents the second stage of the Imperfectxs platform, which deals with Collaborative Cooking, a formula that aims to help the local community throughout the value chain, from the product to the most elaborate dish.
Solla the best exponent of this concept of collaboration, since its restaurant represents an emblem of proximity cuisine in Galician restaurants. Throughout his career, he has been able to establish synergies both with his suppliers and with his colleagues in the profession – “Casa Solla is not only the people on the payroll; they are all my suppliers,” he declares, turning all of them into allies in the development of his kitchen, since “the first job of a chef is to choose good produce”.
In his masterclass, Solla presents and values this network of close collaborators, Galician artisans with whom he is closely involved “because they give me identity and the personality that I want to stamp on my restaurant”. Among them, the ceramist Ana Tenorio, the fisherman Roberto Rodríguez (Artesáns da Pesca), the horticulturist Santiago Pérez (Finca de los Cuervos), the singer Xoel López, Daniel Guzmán (chef of the NOVA restaurant, in Orense, and president of Grupo Nove) and Ana Vázquez (Airas Moniz cheese factory). “Society is built like this – by helping each other. The key is a commitment to honesty,” says the chef.
In the words of Santiago Miguélez, Iberia Marketing Director of Hijos de Rivera, “Imperfectxs is the first platform for gastronomy and positive impact open to the participation of all professionals in the sector and, of course, of all the imperfect but nonconformist people on this planet. With this second masterclass, we wanted to put the focus of this great community on collaboration as a formula to generate wealth and value through mutal help.”
CHEESE WITH GALICIAN HOPS
Cervezas 1906 has started a collaborative project with Pepe Solla and the cheese factory Airas Moniz, through which the brewery has set itself the challenge of creating a cheese with its own hops. The cheese, now in the process of artisan elaboration, will see the light in 2022. “It is currently in the prototype phase, but what we are sure of is that it will be the perfect representation of a collaborative project,” they say from the company.
Hijos de Rivera has a pioneering collaborative project, started in 2004: the recovery of the plantation and cultivation of hops in Galicia, as a firm commitment to local agriculture and the positive impact and differentiation of its beers. It works together with CIAM (Agricultural Research Center of Mabegondo) and the cooperative LUTEGA (Hops Technology of Galicia), an entity that has led the recovery of this historic crop in the area of Betanzos (A Coruña) and that aims to value the Galician rural and support agricultural activity “as sustainable livelihood and alternative generator of employment, capable of boosting local economic structures”.
A PROJECT WITH A VOCATION FOR CONTINUITY
Imperfectxs: Gastronomy for an immense minority will continue to take shape, always within the framework of gastronomy and positive impact, with future contents from chefs such as Javier Ollero, Ángel León and Pepe Vieira, the most recent addition to this project, which address issues related to the protection of origin, love for nature and care for people: local and seasonal ingredients, efficient cooking, protection of biodiversity, healthy and nutritious cuisine, cooking with social purpose, etc. Interesting proposals through which anyone can discover new experiences, tips and ideas to make our day to day more sustainable and adopt a more natural and healthy way of living. Access to these events is free for anyone over 18.
