It’s been a long time since I wanted to tell you about this collaboration that I’m so excited about. It’s RocaRecicla, an initiative by The Celler de Can Roca (now second best restaurant in the world) that bets for sustainability and recycles most of the glass that is used everyday in the restaurant:
Rocarecicla, the new project of Roca brothers to be even more sustainable
As you may probably know, Celler de Can Roca’s philosophy consist in enhancing the local products and favouring the sustainability so the people who go to the Celler not only enjoys the experience, but they participate in a project that tries to encourage the society and the world to be more conscious and collaborative. Also, next to the restaurant it is located the Masía, the Celler de Can Roca research centre where some projects apart from the restaurant are developed everyday, as RocaRecicla
What is exactly Roca Recicla’s purpose?
This new project consists in the reuse of a great amount of glass that is used daily at the restaurant to transform it into flatware and supports for the restaurant and other projects. The person who everyday transforms this glass is the charming Elena, a more than 45 years old woman who Celler de Can Roca has given the opportunity to work again through a work reintegration program. Everyday, Elena enters the restaurant and puts in buckets some glasses used the day before to recycle. Once they are in the Masía, (the I+D center of El Celler de Can Roca) we catalogue them and think of what we can create with them.
Mostly, we create plates, glasses, trays and original supports that are in syntony with the gastronomic suggestions of the Roca Brothers. Here you can see some examples:
My responsability inside this project has been and is organizing and managing the workshop and teaching Elena how to manage the glass, cut it and give it form. Since the very first moment, I loved the collaboration: it is not only because it is one of the most important restaurants in the whole world, but also their approach on the project as their own restaurant management are very similar with the philosophy that I try to transmit everyday with Lucirmás. The Roca Brothers could be only enjoying their success and focusing in new gastronomic innovations but, instead, they are constantly thinking of projects that aim to raise awareness and bring closer gastronomy to the people; they also help their neighbours (as with happens with Elena) and encourage all kinds of eco-friendly habits, as is the case of Roca Recicla.
What I find particularly interesting about this project is that the restaurant and the workshop are really close. This way, Roca brothers are recycling K0 glass!
This is not the only project that reflects the eagerness for sustainability of the Roca Brothers: the Mas Marroch project, a wonderful place designed to host events and celebrations by the Roca brothers, was created taking into account eco-friendly criteria: they used local materials and also had the mission of integrating the space as an extension of the ecosystem around. The result is a spectacular building in line with nature that combines tradition, modernity and elegance.
I only have good things to say about Roca brothers: this adventure is turning out to be both a great and enriching experience. For me, they are not only the best restaurant in the world; they are the best in environmental and social awareness. They deserve it!
