Conversaciones Heladas, brainstorming in Ollauri

Somos campo ('We are countryside') was the motto chosen by Fernando Sáenz and Angelines González to present the eighth edition of Conversaciones Heladas ('Frozen Conversations'), an initiative where passion, flavours and future come together.

This gathering of chefs and producers took place last March 26thin the old schoolofOllauri, a few meters from our Conde de los Andes winery.

In Conversaciones Heladas, we learned that we are countryside because we are soil, tradition and culture. Through a series of talks, almost a hundred attendees engaged with the essence of working in the countryside, with the unpretentious nature of the ordinary, with the recognition of hard work and the pleasure of the authentic.

Gastronomy as an opportunity for rural communities

The focus of Conversaciones Heladas was an empowering and forward-looking idea: gastronomy holds the future of the countryside.This applies toallofits aspects, including tourism, as the journalist Fernando Gallardo pointed out in an interesting and controversial speech. The rest of the speakers chefs Edorta Lamo, Javier Olleros and Pedro Sánchez Jaén; cider maker Hur Astarte, professor Emilio Barco, journalist Fernando Gallardo and ice-cream maker and organiser Fernando Sáenz presented lively, dynamic and wide-ranging discussions.

We were struck by a couple of sentences: "Producers are our very own reference book; they enable us to have seasonal produce in our restaurants" (Javier Olleros, owner of restaurant Culler de Pau); and "Humanity must be able to produce healthy, nutritious and, if possible, cheap foods. I defend the beauty of the small and the wonder of diversity" (Emilio Barco).

It is worth delving into the many insights we learnt in Conversaciones Heladas as featured in two comprehensive pieces published in Gastroeconomy and Apicius respectively (both only in Spanish).

Conde de los Andes hosted one of the events of this festival of knowledge and taste. On March 26th, we offered speakers and journalists a traditional Rioja lunch and a visit to the underground cellars of Ollauri, pictured here.
In the evening, the group enjoyed a dinner cooked by Rioja chefs Francis Paniego, Ignacio Echapresto, Carolina Sánchez and Iñaki Murúa at the imposing Palacio Tondón Hotel in Briñas.