Eurofragance Perfumers Co-create with Chef Joel Castanyé
Our sense of smell and our sense of taste are in cahoots. The link between the two is already established and documented; the two senses complement one another perfectly. This reality prompted us to reach out to a renowned Chef with whom we could exchange new inspirations—and ultimately, creations—to be showcased at in-cosmetics Barcelona. After our first meeting with Chef Joel Castanyé, the founder and owner of La Boscana, in Lleida, Spain, we knew that this would be a fruitful collaboration. Chef Castanyé opened a gastronomic dinning space on this property in 2014, and was rewarded with a Michelin star exactly two years later.
Bringing Artists Together
When true artists from different worlds meet, and there is mutual respect between individuals, creative juices go on overdrive. So when our Perfumers shared fragrance ingredients from our creative palette with Chef Castanyé, it got him immediately thinking of unexpected recipes and possible new dishes to please one’s palate. For this occasion, we had preselected some of our most outstanding perfumery ingredients out of our ICON Collections. Conversely, our scent designers were fascinated by the local produce Chef Castanyé uses in his recipes and by his unusual creative philosophy. For a Perfumer, food is a fabulous source of inspiration—consider all the fruits, citruses, spices and desserts that have made their way into spectacular fragrances. During our work session—in the Chef’s kitchen and in our labs—it became pretty obvious that palette and palate had met on common ground.
Sensorial Experiences That Awaken Emotions
By bringing together a renowned Chef and some of our most accomplished Perfumers, we actually achieved one of our perpetual objectives—inspire our creative teams! If we can truly inspire them, they will, in return, surprise us with more than we could have imagined. And this is precisely what happened in this case. Beyond just feeling overly inspired, this singular exercise of bringing tastes and scents together deeply moved all involved. We were witness to this when in one of our final workshops together, artists in both camps reacted to each other’s creations and let flow their heartfelt feelings. It was an emotional occasion. This is the emotional power that food and fragrance can have on us. Who hasn’t put down their fork in a gastronomic restaurant in the midst of savoring a dish and thought to themselves: “Wow!”? (You only think it, because you aren’t supposed to talk with your mouth full.) And who hasn’t said: “I love that perfume you’re wearing. I could just eat you up”? We operate in a world where emotions run strong, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Our Goal Is to Inspire
The fragrance creations that will be presented at in-cosmetics are the result of this collaboration, which we should actually call an exercise in co-creation. We are pretty confident that our partners will be equally inspired and emotionally moved by our singular approach. Our objective has always been to provide our customers with new concepts, ideas and, of course, new sensorial experiences, that they can take to their consumers. They too seek novelties.
