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Fina Puigdevall, who has run Les Cols since 1990, has bared her soul in her first book. It takes an in-depth look at her philosophy and creations; two of the elements that make up this magical restaurant where it is possible to savour both peace and tranquillity. Its 384 pages cannot but glow with a personal and didactic beauty.
In 1990, a young Fina Puigdevall opened the doors of Les Cols (Olot, Girona) in the farmhouse (masía) where she was born. For 27 years, together with her life (and professional) partner Manel Puigvert, she has forged this restaurant with two Michelin stars that is unique in the world and which reflects every facet of her soul. Now, this cook bares it completely in Anima, her first publication.
The book, published by Montagud Editores, offers an intimate portrait of the restaurant.
Each and every one of Anima’s 384 pages glow with a spirit that is didactic, beautiful, reflective and contemplative in equal measure. And they do so via 82 of Fina Puigdevall’s most emblematic creations. All of them take the shape of an offering to the diner, while at the same time reflecting, with exquisite faithfulness, one of the cross- sectional axes of her cuisine: “the unchanging cycle of the seasons”. Produce, beyond being an object of homage, is the recipient of devotion and a profound love for the earth; the discreet yet undeniable protagonist.
In addition, ten experts on contemporary art, culture, philosophy and poetry, among other disciplines, have collaborated on this book. Their writings open a window onto aspects that are vital for understanding Puigdevall’s cuisine. Among them, landscape is represented; the complete awareness of the surroundings and the peace and calm that can only be achieved when plenitude has been reached. These writings are all along the same lines as Fina’s dishes, where the superfluous is done away with so that elegance and what is of essence are highlighted.
Anima’s circle closes with 84 famous and undisputed philosophical quotations by inspirational, wise figures from the world over and from throughout the ages – from Fray Luis de León to Oscar Wilde, via Rabindranath Tagore – and with photos by Mikel Ponce that encompass the same values that guide the evolution of Les Cols.
Sincerity, balance, naturalness, authenticity and the feeling that emanates from them.
‘I try to relate every moment to beauty and live every moment with passion’, says Fina Puigdevall. ‘It is the little things that fill me with happiness and bring me closer to seasonality and a life lived to the fullest’. ‘Producing this beautiful book has been an exercise in critical thinking that we are thankful for,’ adds Jãvi Antoja de La Rosa, editor-in-chief of the book and of Montagud Editores’ publishing projects. ‘We have internalised the ideology of Les Cols, where the most personal side of a being is presented to the diner as an offering via a contemporary language’.