There is very little left until the arrival of the Christmas holidays. Soon we will meet again with our loved ones around a good table, to celebrate the great moments we have shared together and toast with hope that next year will continue to bring us many more like those we experienced. Christmas unites us to create beautiful memories. It is also a good opportunity to approach the path of solidarity and collaborate with those who are going through difficulties of various kinds or who must face severe illnesses that inevitably condition their way of life.
This is what the 650 people who gathered last Friday night, November 17, at the Barcelona Maritime Museum wanted to do to participate in the II Ametller Origen Solidarity Dinner to benefit the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The festive evening was marked by the spirit of solidarity and the desire to contribute to the improvement of the quality of the sick. During the event, a total of 30,000 euros was raised, which was entirely allocated to the Fundació Catalana d’ALS Miquel Valls, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by the disease. This figure is added to the previous 150,000 euros that Ametller Origen already managed to raise with the Solidarity Kitchen project.
“We are very satisfied with the great reception this dinner has had and we want to thank all the people who have accompanied us on Friday, and throughout this year and a half, for their solidarity and for contributing their grain of sand in the fight against ALS”, explains Josep Ametller, CEO and co-founder of Ametller Origen. And thanks to this type of initiatives it is reflected that the company, in addition to positioning itself as an ideal option so that we can feed ourselves with fresh and quality products, It also contributes to giving visibility and raising funds for social entities.
Those in charge, behind the stove, of bringing happiness to the more than 650 diners were prestigious chefs such as Nandu Jubany, Hideki Matsuhisa, Vicent Guimerà, Oriol Balaguer and Lluc Crusellas. It was a magnificent opportunity to taste some of the exclusive proposals that can be found this Christmas at Ametller Origen and that have made them especially famous, such as the rostit cannelloni and the Jubany mushroom cannelloni, the pressed organic beef with mini vegetables Guimerà, the panettone and the nougat from Crusellas, as well as the panettone and the “tortell” de reyes made by Balaguer. The magical and supportive night was completed in an unbeatable way with the performances of Carol Rovira and Joan Rovira, Montse Castellà and the unique show of the magician Sanyes.
The solidarity celebration was led by the radio and television presenter Llucià Ferrer, well known for successful programs such as the Atrapa’m si pots contest, and the actress Carol Rovira, whom we have been able to see in numerous plays, films and TV series. television, like Love is forever. The two of them were the masters of ceremonies who were in charge of making the guests discover all the Christmas magic of Ametller Origen and the transformative power of these initiatives. The event had a very special host, the true “soul” of the Solidarity Kitchen project, the former soccer player and coach Juan Carlos Unzué, along with other people affected by the disease.
Precisely this Cocina Solidaria initiative has allowed recognized chefs – such as Albert Adrià, Ada Parellada, Joan Roca, Carme Ruscalleda, Nandu Jubany and Vicent Guimerà – to be paired with elite athletes, such as Aitana Bonmatí, Ona Carbonell, Alex Corretja, Alexia Putellas, Juan Carlos Unzué and Aleix Espargaró. The chefs have created the recipes for some of the athletes’ favorite dishes, which Ametller Origen has put on sale in its physical and online stores, allocating 100% of the profits to the Catalan Foundation of ELA Miquel Valls.
Both proposals are an example of the social awareness of Ametller Origen, a food company that, since its foundation, has been concerned with contributing positively to society. As Josep Ametller said, with these proposals “once again, we have shown that we are unstoppable and that together we can change the world.”
