Roser Torras and the emotional award from the Idoate family
“The Idoate family are like family to me,” said Roser Torras after receiving the Europa Award for San Fermín, with which this Pamplona-based hospitality dynasty recognizes “the unconditional loyalty of friends who have been coming to our festivities for years, visiting Restaurante Europa.” Juan Mari Arzak and Carlos Latre had previously received the award.
It was more than 30 years ago when the businesswoman and gastronomic promoter first attended the San Fermín festival and began her friendship with the siblings Juan Mari, Iñaki, Pilar, Esther and Mari Carmen Idoate.
They have been with her through the happiest and most difficult moments of her life, both professional and personal, something she will never forget. It was also thanks to this family that she fell in love with the most important festival in the Navarrese capital, "which is not always what is portrayed in the media."
The personal relationship is combined with a professional admiration, especially for Pilar Idoate, "a top-notch cook," from whom she says she has learned a lot, especially from her "traditional cuisine revisited with great talent."
But he also has nothing but praise for the professionalism with which Esther and Mari Carmen manage the dining room. And he is delighted that Pilar's son is already following in his footsteps, guaranteeing the continuity of one of Spain's leading hospitality dynasties, which began in 1977 when Ani Vidaurre and Francisco Idoate took over a simple eatery and transformed it into one of Navarre's must-visit destinations.
In addition to Europa*, the family group has 75 employees thanks to its growth with Alhambra and El Merca'o.
At Europa, the award was presented to Roser Torras, a worker whom "the Idoate brothers admire and love," nicknamed "the mamma" by the best national and international chefs whose promotion she has contributed to in a life dedicated "to the gastronomic universe with her company grup gsr, dedicated to the conceptualization, management, communication and production of enogastronomic events such as San Sebastian Gastronomika, Alimentar Experience, Andalucía Sabor, and others at an international level."
A gastronomic passion
She is also recognized as “a passionate San Fermín enthusiast, a friend, and the best ambassador for our gastronomy,” the Idoate family recounts. “Hers is a story of fascination, of passion,” which led her to trade the operating room for the kitchen.
In Barcelona, it produced some of the most spectacular events, such as the now "impossible" Festa Major dinner in the middle of Passeig de Gràcia or the placement of a gigantic Easter egg atop the Columbus Monument, two highlights of Barcelona's Year of Gastronomy. It also produced popular projects like Mercat de Mercats and Tast a la Rambla.
Her resume includes other milestones such as, from 2014 to 2015, chair (president) of the Spain and Portugal region of TheWorld's 50 Best Restaurants list, and being in charge of choosing the 35 members of the jury (journalists, chefs, restaurateurs and top professionals in the sector) with the right to vote in the selection of the best restaurant in the world.
Within the gsr group, which is currently part of the Vocento Gastronomy division, Roser Torras also promoted the digital gastronomic magazine 7Caníbales, which represented a revolution in gastronomic communication on the Internet and continues its evolution.
Besides its connection to the Idoate family, this award has a special meaning for Roser Torras: “I retired 40 days ago –although I still maintain my connection with Vocento Gastronomía– and it is the first award I have received, and with a room full of friends.”
