I am Sol Penafiel and I have been around cooking and home-based cooks all my life. A great part of my social life revolves around cooking and eating the delicious foods of Spain and other cultures, pairing food and wines, and sharing my discoveries. I am passionate about experimenting, innovating, and exploring with food. It is my own way to travel around the world.
I have always worked in international education and was trained as a language teacher. I have lived in different countries, including the United States and France. Sometimes, you only need to make a short move to learn something new: Moving to Barcelona in 1999 added a new dimension to my previous linguistic and culinary experience: beautiful new produce to discover, curious spice blends and so many traditional food markets! From one stall to the next, from hidden wine shops to cheesemongering, I discovered the Barcelona I want to share with you.
Barcelona is also a great place to learn languages – in my case, when I moved to Barcelona, I learned Catalan. I used my market excursions to gain new vocabulary and to practise this new language. I found that as I expanded my culinary horizons, my knowledge of Catalan also expanded. And I brought those lessons home to my family: as a mother, I introduced my sons and their friends to healthy, varied, and new foods since they were very young. Today, they are adventurous eaters and good cooks.
Come join me on an adventure to discover Barcelona, Mediterranean cuisine and a new language!