Gastronomy Leaps from the Kitchen to the University Cloister

A transformation in the culinary world, evident in the tables of the world's most renowned restaurants, was missing a key aspect: education, deep learning beyond what is taught in kitchens through practice and business management by trial and error. In this academic approach, which spans from product knowledge to business strategy and marketing, two of the world's top chefs, Ferran Adrià and Andoni Luis Aduriz, have personally committed to taking the world of food to the next level, with young aspirants poised to follow in their footsteps. With these mentors, the Madrid Culinary Campus (MACC) educational offering was launched two years ago, thanks to the alliance between Comillas Pontifical University and Vocento Gastronomy.

Now, the call is open for the third degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Innovation. Over four years, a maximum group of 20 students will have the opportunity not only to receive theoretical knowledge from permanently involved professors and chefs but also to experience visits to the elBulli Foundation headquarters, invited by Adrià himself. "The students are living a dream," says Pablo Márquez, Director of Gastronomy at MACC. "The same dream I am surely living, which is sharing with a very dedicated Ferran this tool for disseminating his work within a university with a DNA of training, research, and dissemination."

The three pillars on which the degree is based are gastronomy, product knowledge, and the construction of academic material. The first "is not about coming to learn to cook, for that you go to a restaurant," explains Márquez. "What we want is for the student to understand the kitchen. We combine culinary techniques, for example, with humanistic knowledge."

The second, he continues, "has a more scientific approach," to understand from the biological bases of food to the technology applied to transform them; and to know the products in depth, both processed and those that come from nature. The third pillar "builds quality content, following the legacy of the elBulli Foundation because, although there are many cookbooks and recipes, there is not much academic material."

The call is also open for the Mugaritz Creativity Program, "with students not all coming from gastronomy," led by the team of Aduriz's renowned restaurant, where there is a "permanent dialogue with philosophers, anthropologists, historians, musicians, artists, craftsmen, neuroscientists... to create a philosophical and conceptual project," notes Márquez. "The program takes place on Mondays and Tuesdays. It begins with a lecture on creativity, processes, interactions, or methodologies, and continues with student participation. A dialogue is established that culminates in a family meal where interaction continues over a sobremesa."

With these offerings, step by step, the goal is "to become an international benchmark providing the best university education and quality for all those aspiring to develop professionally in this field," says Antonio Obregón, Executive Director of MACC. "It is also a true uniqueness, unparalleled in the Spanish university landscape."

This year also marks the start of the first edition of the Master's in Permanent Training in Gastronomic Restoration, known as the 'Bulli Master's. Directed by Adrià, it concentrates all the business knowledge gained by the great chef over his 40-year career. Aimed at entrepreneurs and focused on quality restaurants, it will feature a lineup of 'bullinianos' professors, from now-renowned chefs to front-of-house staff.