Good practice:

Artesanía No Prato - linking crafts to gastronomy

Crafts and gastronomy are an essential part of Galician culture and two growing sectors whose collaboration aims to place Galicia at the epicenter of culinary and craft quality, achieving novel and attractive pairings.

The “Artesanía No Prato” (crafts on a plate) project was launched in 2013, and aims to generate an interrelationship between crafts, design, and gastronomy. It aims to connect nouvelle cuisine with the brand Artesanía de Galicia (Crafts from Galicia).

Through “Artesanía No Prato” craftsmanship is introduced to outstanding chefs in Galicia with the aim of them becoming promoters of the synergies between crafts and gastronomy, focusing on the value of bringing together both sectors and seeding new collaborations in product design for nouvelle cuisine as well as reviewing traditional elements of the local craftsmanship.

Fundación Pública Artesanía de Galicia acted as an agent between craftspeople and chefs for the incorporation of the Artesanía de Galicia brand in their restaurants and took part in different events linked to gastronomy as specific actions of promotion and symbiosis of both disciplines in national and international events. Furthermore, they have organised two professional fairs to bring closer crafts products and services to professionals from the gastronomy sector.

An average of 11.000 EUR per year and 90.000 EUR for each professional fair.

Collaborations between chefs and craftsmen of Galicia are increasing: more than 40 crafts workshops are working with Galician and national chefs as a result of this project, as well as with large companies that distribute catering equipment.
Michelin-starred restaurants have joined this initiative with excellent results, inspiring young chefs to use crafts in their projects.

One of the biggest challenges lies in the elaboration of craft pieces for the hospitality sector. The needs of a hospitality business require products of high aesthetic quality but also durable, resistant and, if possible, easily manageable and stackable.

Spain is a worldwide gastronomic reference with one of the best international hospitality networks and many prestigious restaurants that make the Spanish product as one of the best in the world. Therein lies one of the main potentials for the transfer of knowledge of ARTESANÍA NO PRATO project to other Spanish regions or event internationally. Of course, there are already restaurants that have craft products as supports for their creations, but this experience can be generalized to a higher level, with greater projection and display.