10 Mar Kitchen Meets Up Barcelona brings together leading women in gastronomy to promote leadership, sustainability and collaboration on the occasion of International Women’s Day
Posted at 20:11h in News
Barcelona, March 8, 2026
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, commemorated every March 8, Kitchen Meets Up Barcelona held a pre-event gathering on March 3 at Semproniana, the restaurant of renowned chef Ada Parellada. The initiative aimed to highlight the work of women in the gastronomic sector, strengthen solidarity, and generate synergies and connections among professionals from different disciplines.
The event was organized by The Kitchen Consultancy as the host organization, in collaboration with the Science & Cooking World Congress Foundation and with the sponsorship of Bonna Premium Porcelain and Paşabahçe, bringing together professionals from across the sector for a day of reflection, connection and collective dialogue.
A space to share leadership and experiences
The gathering brought together chefs, restaurant founders, food writers and journalists, industry consultants, producers working with the HORECA channel, and other key actors from the gastronomic ecosystem. Beyond the culinary experience, the meeting opened a space for dialogue aimed at building a shared perspective on female leadership, its visibility, and a culture of collaborative production.
During the event, participants addressed the structural challenges faced by women in the gastronomic world, models of solidarity and mentorship, sustainable culinary practices, the importance of strengthening ties with local producers, and the evolution of the dining experience.
Conversations, built around personal stories, inspiring career paths and practical proposals, transformed the meeting into a platform where concrete collaborations began to emerge, moving beyond traditional networking to foster alliances with purpose.
Voices promoting a sustainable network
Dr. Aslı Duran, co-founder of The Kitchen Consultancy, highlighted:
“Gastronomy is a multidimensional field of work that extends from the field to the table, from communication to management. Today we gather to highlight the contribution of women within this ecosystem and to build connections that strengthen us mutually. We aim to turn Kitchen Meets Up, starting in Barcelona, into a sustainable network of solidarity.”
Pere Castells, president of the Science & Cooking World Congress Foundation, emphasized the social impact of the meeting:
“Supporting women’s leadership within a gastronomic ecosystem strengthened by knowledge, research and education is not only progress for the sector, but also a more sustainable future for society.”
Chef Ada Parellada, host of the gathering, added:
“Real transformation in the kitchen is not achieved only through recipes, but through the relationships we build around the table and the spaces we create among ourselves. Coming together today around the voice, work and creativity of women is deeply meaningful. As solidarity grows, gastronomy will become more just and more sustainable.”
Brands contributing to the experience
The gathering was also supported by Bonna Premium Porcelain and Paşabahçe, whose porcelain and glassware contributed aesthetic and functional coherence to the service experience, symbolizing the connection between brands from different regions through a shared gastronomic culture.
Outlook for 2026
Kitchen Meets Up gatherings are expected to continue throughout the year with different themes and collaborations, promoting new projects that build bridges between gastronomic ecosystems across the Mediterranean, beginning with Barcelona.