20 years of Mescladís: a party full of gratitude and community

On Sunday October 5 we celebrated 20 years of Mescladís with a big party on the terrace of Santa Madrona, in Mescladís Lliure Montjuïc, from 19 h.
A meeting full of emotion and joy that brought together students, alumni, trainers, chefs, waiters and kitchen staff, collaborating institutions, friends of the house, and the whole Mescladís family.

This celebration was the prelude to Massa Mare - Fronteras, the stage event that we co-produced together with The Other Shore in the framework of the Viu Montjuïc 2025 festival .

The event was opened by Martín Habiague, director of Mescladís, who thanked the entire community that gives life to the project, recalling that "Mescladís would be impossible without all the people present".

During the party we enjoyed the live music of Chorinho Brasil, with a trio of exceptional musicians: Jonas Santana on pandeiro, Jérôme on clarinet and guitar, and Pedro João on bandolim and guitar.

We also tasted the appetizers created by the students of Cuinant Oportunitats, inspired by the concepts of the border -the central theme of Massa Mare-and the latest edition of Convit/e Magazine.
Before the tasting, Ernesto Gonca, Mescladís alumni and referent of the program La Meva Recepta, shared some words that summarize the spirit of the project:

"As you well know, La Meva Recepta has been a space to share who we are and where we come from. Through it we have valued our traditions, our territories and, especially, our families. The appetizers presented below are the result of a process of reflection in which the students translate, from their personal sensibility, what borders mean to each one of us. These reflections are fused with an inspiration in Palestinian gastronomy. In this case, more than simple appetizers, they are also an edible manifesto: of memory, denunciation and hope; the certainty that sharing around the table remains, always, an act of resistance and life."

From the group coordinated by Ester, Abdoul Kerim Sidibe (Mescladís alumnx) presented an appetizer on behalf of his group based on a Manakish. "Talking about borders is never simple: they are places of farewells and arrivals, of pain and hope", they expressed. Their proposal, a white cheese and spinach manakish with bell pepper jam and black olive, was a tribute to Palestine. Each ingredient represented the colors of their flag: green and white as symbols of hope and peace; red, the spilled blood and bittersweet feelings of exile; and black, mourning for the lives lost. More than just a snack, this manakish united tradition, memory and resistance in a single bite.

The group formed by Paloma and Keyla had Zakaria Arbaa (alumnx Mescladís) as their representative and showed us their group's creation entitled Kareb al-'amal (قارب الأمل), which in Arabic means "The boat of hope". The Mediterranean, they explained, is perhaps one of the most difficult frontiers to assimilate: it can appear warm and crystalline, but it is also a symbol of death. Their appetizer, presented on a tiny boat, evoked this duality and the strength of those who try to cross our borders day after day. It consisted of a watermelon and tomato tart, spicy eggplant jam and cumin meringue.

Finally, Sekou Kouyate and Hanin Sarkes students from Geidy's group presented an appetizer based on filo pasta, with a reflection on borders as a space of encounter and diversity. "There are borders that separate us and turn diversity into a stigma; others, on the other hand, enrich us. This appetizer reminds us that borders also give new names to things, and that, truth be told, is a beautiful thing." Pasta filo, they explained, was born in a region where flavors travel without a passport: from Greece to Palestine, from Turkey to Lebanon. Layers that overlap, like our histories, like our lives interwoven by the mixture and the encounter.

We would like to give special thanks to the entire team of the Mescladís Social Production Company, which made this celebration possible, and especially to the team coordinating the entire activity:

Martín Habiague, Claudia Sanguinetti, Linda Sanmarco, Adrieli Lester, Victoria Ghio, Belén Millán, Vito Genoud, Zac Ohayo, Julia Vicente, Nico Senese, Olivia Torres, Keyla Melissa Ruiz, Chakir Koualem, Jazmín Yanes Maldonado, Luis Magaña, María Yanes, Mohammed Oukazdouf, Ester Leme, Estefanía, Lisa Rossi, Geidy Yurley Valencia, Ramiro Siedi, Wolda Andrea Ponce, Paloma Vallejo, Giulia Piantato, María José Martínez, Maica Auren, Amar Koualem, Ayoub El Haidi, Lucas Ventura, Tatiana Castañeda, Ernesto González, Belén López Peiró, Núria Domingo and Josefina Cuneo.

Thank you for the passion, dedication and joy with which we make each meeting possible.
We continue cuinant oportunitats, building community and celebrating shared life.

🌱 Mescladís' 20th anniversary event was supported by the Institute of Culture of Barcelona (ICUB).