Catalonia projects Catalan cuisine to the world with the premiere of the gastronomic series "Gènesi"

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food and the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT), part of the Ministry of Enterprise and Labour, have taken part in the co-production of the series “Gènesi”, together with 3Cat, with the aim of further strengthening the standing of Catalan cuisine worldwide. The Catalan Institute for Cultural Enterprises, part of the Ministry of Culture, has also funded part of it.

“Gènesi” tells how the world of Ferran Adrià and elBulli revolutionised gastronomy worldwide and shook the foundations of Catalan cuisine, with heated debates between different culinary styles that have brought us to where we are today: the "best cuisine in the world".

On this point, the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Oscar Ordeig, stressed that “Gènesi sets the course for continuing to project Catalan cuisine around the world and for us Catalans to recognise the value of our outstanding produce, of our farmers, livestock producers and fishers, and of our land. A heritage that explains why we have a benchmark gastronomy and which should inspire us to keep making history through Catalan cuisine.”

The Local produce is also one of the backbones of this culinary world. Ingredients from the sea and the market garden, wines, meats and aromatic herbs appear throughout the series to showcase a cuisine closely tied to the land, where the quality and origin of the raw ingredients are essential both in avant-garde cooking and in traditional recipes. Farmers, fishers, livestock producers and other producers also feature prominently in this story.

Through dishes and products such as Roses langoustines, prawns, sea cucumbers, Maresme peas, calçots, cava, Penedès wines and market-garden produce, “Gènesi” shows how Catalan gastronomy is built on a diverse territory and on raw ingredients that become a source of inspiration for chefs.

The production, directed by David Pujol and with the actor Miquel Fernández in the lead role of Ferran Adrià, also features characters representing other names woven into the storylines, without whom the reach of elBulli's legacy and the gastronomic movement of recent years cannot be explained: Santi Santamaria, Fermí Puig, Christian Escribà, Oriol Castro. Essential names such as the Roca brothers, Carme Ruscalleda, Fina Puigdevall and Nandu Jubany are also present.

“Gènesi”, which premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival, can be watched on TV3 and on the 3Cat platform. Its worldwide distribution will involve Netflix in the markets of the rest of Spain, Europe, Latin America and the United States.

The legacy of Catalonia, World Region of Gastronomy

After the screening of two episodes at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, the presentation of “Gènesi” continued with an institutional event at the Hotel María Cristina, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, through Prodeca, the promoter of Catalan food products.

The event brought together 250 guests, including institutional representatives, members of the series' team, chefs, journalists, opinion leaders and professionals linked to gastronomy. During the event there was a cocktail dinner prepared by Nandu Jubany, with a menu running through the four pillars around which the story of “Gènesi” is built: traditional Catalan cooking, haute cuisine, local produce and the landscape.

Nandu Jubany offered guests a menu designed to showcase the diversity of the Catalan larder and to highlight the link between produce, land and cooking, one of the production's main narrative threads.

The drama was conceived in 2025, coinciding with the designation of Catalonia as World Region of Gastronomy, and carries forward the legacy of that commemoration.

The Secretary for Enterprise and Innovation, Jaume Baró, noted that “Catalan gastronomy is heritage, identity and international projection. A cuisine with deep roots that has been able to evolve, innovate and open new paths without losing sight of its origins. Showcasing it means recognising the talent of our professionals, the quality of our products and the richness of our land, and strengthening Catalonia's role as an international gastronomic benchmark.”

The more than 455 activities rolled out during the year have helped strengthen the international projection of Catalan culinary culture, the agri-food sector and the excellence of the tourism offering linked to gastronomy and wine tourism. In this context, “Gènesi” adds a new window through which to show the world the richness and diversity of this heritage.

Through fiction, the series shows how gastronomy is a cultural expression deeply tied to the land and to Catalan identity, and how the dialogue between traditional cooking and innovation has been key to understanding the international projection of Catalan cuisine.

Catalonia's landscape is also a protagonist of “Gènesi”

Beyond its gastronomic dimension, “Gènesi” turns different landscapes and places around the country into an essential part of the story, so that the Catalan landscape becomes another character in the narrative.

Filming took place at various emblematic locations that help recreate the world and the period in which the series is set. The fictional restaurant Can Canabach is located in the Penedès; from Cala Montjoi, elBulli's real entrance door and the surrounding natural setting were used; and a farmhouse in Barcelona serves as the entrance and interior of Can Fabes, chef Santi Santamaria's restaurant. The Costa Brava, the Maresme and Montserrat host other “Gènesi” locations, joined by the sound stages of the Parc Audiovisual de Catalunya in Terrassa, which stand in for elBulli's interiors and kitchen and for the empty premises that would later become Albert Adrià's Tickets.

And so gastronomy and land become two inseparable elements of the story of “Gènesi”, with landscapes, producers, products and chefs that help explain where one of the world's most internationally renowned cuisines comes from and how it has evolved.