MARBELLA, SPAIN (June 1, 2023) – In celebration of the International Picasso Year, a global milestone commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Malaga-born artist, Hotel Don Pepe is launching ‘Picasso a la mesa,’ an innovative culinary journey paying tribute to the role the visual arts have played in preserving our culinary customs over time.
The inaugural chapter of this unique offering takes place at the hotel’s ERRE & Urrechu restaurant, where guests will indulge in the gastronomic proposal ‘Picasso a la mesa.’ The exclusive experience will be available from June 1st to November 30th, 2023. Priced at 70 euros (excluding wine pairing), diners will embark on a captivating voyage through the life and artistic legacy of Picasso.
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his passing, 2023 has been designated ‘The Picasso Year’, marked by a multitude of exhibitions, events, and initiatives worldwide, and paying homage to the life and work of the painter.
The tangible connection between Picasso and gastronomy is prevalent throughout his oeuvre as a painter and his passion for poetry. The artist frequently depicted kitchen spaces, which served as bastions of sometimes blurred childhood memories from Málaga. Through elements such as plates, caged birds, the ‘woman-flower’, chairs, or tables, he expressed his unique perspective, capturing moments that brought him closer to his roots, the origin of everything, and the genesis of his profound appreciation for food.
Under the guidance of the renowned grill master Íñigo Urrechu, ‘Picasso a la mesa’ offers a culinary and anachronistic journey through the different stages that defined Picasso’s artistic trajectory. This exceptional gastronomic experience begins with an emulsified sea bass tartare and spherical olive, paying homage to his Blue Period. It is followed by a silky lobster gazpacho with fresh vegetables, symbolizing the Pink Period, a transitional phase characterized by gentle and vibrant tones. Then, a modernized and flavorsome Bacalao Tellagorri represents the Vallauris period, the artist’s final stage – in which he immersed himself in ceramics and sculpture. The main course features a farmhouse chicken stewed with langoustines and scallops, an unexpected amalgamation of countryside and maritime flavors, representing the surrealism era, marked by distorted and voluminous figures reminiscent of a dreamlike realm.
The grand finale brings a canvas of vanilla and an osmotic pear, accompanied by a sponge cake infused with oil; a unique dessert mirroring the artistic legacy of the Malaga-born maestro, an eminent figure in Cubism and co-creator of the movement alongside Georges Braque. This dessert alludes to his Cubist stage, the culmination of his work, which marked a turning point in the history of painting, when there was a break with the traditional Renaissance perspective.
This initiative is part of ‘Gastronomy is Art,’ an innovative proposal created by Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, that unites two intrinsically interconnected universes, revolutionizing the dining experience of the guests.
