Osona Cuina: new members and 30 years promoting the gastronomy of the region

Osona Cuina expands its horizons. The gastronomic collective has announced the addition of four new projects, bringing the total number of restaurants and initiatives that are part of the association to fifteen. Almost three decades after its inception, the association remains committed to promoting the cuisine, products, and gastronomic identity of the region.

The new additions are A Lloc (Torelló), led by Ernest Sabatés and Pol Cordomí; Mas Estanyol (El Brull), headed by Elisenda Cañet; Vins Riera (Sant Hipòlit de Voltregà), spearheaded by Marçat Curriu, Martí Mallol, and Lluís Parareda; and La Canal (Tona), directed by Ethan Álvarez and Arnau Salvans. These four projects bring different profiles and sensibilities and expand Osona Cuina's territorial presence.

A project born in 1998

To understand the significance of this growth, we must go back to November 1998. Osona Cuina was born from the union of a group of restaurateurs who decided to join forces to promote the gastronomy and products of the region. At that time, the commitment to working collectively around concepts such as cuisine, territory, and product was still pioneering.

Among the establishments that launched the project were El Boccatti, Ca l'Ignasi, Ca l'U, Can Jubany, Fonda Sala, L'Estanyol, Mas Albereda, and Torres Petit. The founding group eventually comprised thirteen establishments and laid the foundations for an association that would become one of the leading voices of Osona's gastronomy.

Names like Josep Girabent, Nandu Jubany, Joan Font, Manel Molera, and Toni Sala were associated with that initial phase. Sala, in particular, served as president of Osona Cuina from its inception until 2012, when Josep Girabent, also a founding member, took over.

Over the years, the group has gone through different phases and generational shifts. In 2018, coinciding with its twentieth anniversary, many of the founding chefs passed the torch to a new generation. The goal was to revitalize the association without losing its core essence: working together to showcase the region's gastronomy.

From local produce to the gastronomic map

This commitment to regional identity has been a constant throughout Osona Cuina's history. The association has championed products closely linked to the region, such as truffles, mushrooms, and pork, and has promoted initiatives that have helped establish gastronomy as a key promotional tool for Osona. Among these, the Dijous Llarder in Vic stands out, having become one of the most recognizable and popular gastronomic events in the region.

The group is now embarking on a new phase, looking both to the future and to its own history. In 2027, they will begin commemorating the 25th anniversary of Dijous Llarder in Vic, and starting in the autumn of that same year, they will kick off the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Osona Cuina, culminating in 2028.

The new members therefore arrive at a symbolic moment. For the association, adding new projects means incorporating talent and fresh perspectives, but also ensuring the continuity of a model based on sharing knowledge and experiences.

Osona Cuina also wishes to acknowledge the role played by producers, sponsors, collaborators, organizations, and government bodies over these nearly three decades. Their collaboration has strengthened the link between gastronomy and the region and given greater visibility to the products and professionals of the area.

With fifteen members, Osona Cuina is once again looking to the future without forgetting its origins. Three decades after that first alliance of restaurateurs, the challenge remains the same: to make Osona known through its cuisine and to ensure that the product, the people, and the land continue to be the main ingredients of its gastronomic identity.