{"id":100567,"date":"2026-05-02T14:47:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T14:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/?p=100567"},"modified":"2026-05-02T14:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T14:55:26","slug":"art-you-can-eat-jimmy-millan-gio-esteve-virens-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/en\/art-you-can-eat-jimmy-millan-gio-esteve-virens-barcelona\/","title":{"rendered":"Art you can eat: Jimmy Mill\u00e1n and Gio Esteve at Virens Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"
A biography turned into a tasting menu<\/span><\/h6>\n

This is not a conventional collaboration, but a true creative symbiosis. Together, they have managed to turn the artist\u2019s life journey into a complete gastronomic narrative, where each creation functions as a chapter and each bite as a way of understanding his universe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As stated in the original project, the experience is constructed as a biographical narrative in an exclusive showcooking format, in which matter and flavour are in constant dialogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cJimmy expresses through images; we do it through flavour.\u201d Gio Esteve<\/em><\/p>\n

From dialogue to creation: when art is cooked<\/span><\/h6>\n

It all begins with a conversation. One of those conversations that does not seek immediate results, but understanding. For hours, Mill\u00e1n<\/em> and Esteve<\/em> identified the key milestones in the artist\u2019s life, marked by constant evolution, rupture and exploration.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The challenge wasn’t simple: to translate visual emotions into gastronomic language. While one works through gesture, colour and texture, the other does so through flavour, temperature and technique. However, the meeting point was clear: emotion.<\/p>\n

For his part, Jimmy Mill\u00e1n<\/em> has understood this collaboration as an exercise in creative rigour. A process that has not only expanded his artistic language, but has also confronted him with new ways of narrating.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery memory carries a distinct emotion, and that emotion is translated into ingredients, texture and temperature.\u201d Gio Esteve<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tableware as an extension of the narrative<\/span><\/h6>\n

There are no secondary elements here. The tableware, designed by the artist himself, becomes a fundamental narrative component. Each piece is an extension of his work, an intervened surface that acts as a bridge between art and cuisine.<\/p>\n

The collection, produced by hand by the historic Alfonso G\u00f3ngora<\/em> pottery workshop, incorporates cracks, textures, glazes and strokes that reflect Mill\u00e1n\u2019s visual identity.<\/p>\n

But its value goes beyond aesthetics. Every mark on the ceramic has a meaning. Every imperfection is intentional. It is not decoration: it is memory and evolution. It is the physical trace of a life journey materialised in every service.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a one-directional tableware concept with a discourse solely mine\u2014it\u2019s the result of a dialogue between both of us.\u201d Jimmy Mill\u00e1n<\/em><\/p>\n

Seven milestones, seven emotions: the menu as narrative<\/span><\/h6>\n

The menu is structured as a biography fragmented into key moments.<\/p>\n

It does not seek to reproduce memories, but to interpret them, as well as to transform decisions into textures, ruptures into cooking methods and lessons into nuances.<\/p>\n

The origin: purity and possibility<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A green tea bread with coarse salt and olive oil from Ja\u00e9n opens the experience.<\/p>\n

Absolute minimalism. A clean starting point, like a blank canvas. And… absolutely delicious!<\/p>\n

The rupture (2015): inevitable change<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Leeks cooked in two ways symbolise the decision to leave behind what is familiar. Firm on the outside, delicate on the inside.<\/p>\n

A direct reflection of personal transition turned into a very subtle bite that seduces the palate.<\/p>\n

The pop phase (2018 \u2013 London): creative explosion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maresme peas with cod pil-pil and pepper flowers create a vibrant dish, full of energy and contrast.<\/p>\n

In the same way that London represented one of his most creatively fruitful periods, this dish acts almost like a gentle caress that comforts body and mind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The journey east (2020 \u2013 Seoul): depth and fusion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The chickpea stew with smoked eel introduces the international dimension and became our favourite. Tradition reinterpreted with Asian nuances. It is a dish full of layers, standing out for its textures and for the nuances that gradually reveal themselves as it is tasted.<\/p>\n

An unforgettable explosion of flavour.<\/p>\n

The light of Asia (2020\u20132025): expansion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The red mullet with grilled lettuce embodies a stage of consolidation and openness: a structured, luminous and precise dish. As throughout the entire menu, Gio Esteve<\/em> creates unique dishes of great visual impact, supported by top-quality ingredients, which he handles with fascinating skill.<\/p>\n

A proposal that confirms that both Mill\u00e1n<\/em> and Esteve<\/em> are great artists in different fields.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Maturity (2025): time and craft<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stewed old cow\u2019s tail. Intensity, depth and patience. A recipe less heavy than it may seem, exquisite and remarkable for the extra mellow texture of the meat.<\/p>\n

It refers to the evolution and knowledge acquired by Mill\u00e1n<\/em> throughout his career and, furthermore, it is a dish deeply rooted in his family, one that is usually cooked regularly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough shapes, colours and flavours, each dish has a unique connection with me… However, I could highlight two: the white and red bowl where the Maresme peas are served, and the sun plate with the grilled lettuce and red mullet… but of course, then I\u2019m leaving out the clay pot with the chickpea and eel stew, the blessed one with stewed old cow\u2019s tail… how complicated it is to choose!\u201d Jimmy Mill\u00e1n<\/em><\/p>\n

Legacy: the emotional finale<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chocolate, cocoa soil and salt. Sweet, bitter, complex.<\/p>\n

The end of a life journey condensed into one word: balance. It is served on a ceramic piece created specifically for the project, intervened with one of the artist\u2019s most recognisable plastic gestures.<\/p>\n

The result is a constant dialogue between container and content.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not about illustrating memories, but interpreting them: transforming decisions into textures.\u201d Gio Esteve<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The space as part of the narrative<\/span><\/h6>\n

The experience takes place at Virens, the plant-based restaurant at Almanac Barcelona<\/em>, transformed here into an intimate stage where everything happens in front of the diner.<\/p>\n

The showcooking format \u2014 limited to just 10 people per session \u2014 turns each service into an almost performative staging. The counter ceases to be a functional element and becomes a meeting place between creator and spectator.<\/p>\n

\u201cVirens is already a very sensory and honest space. Here, the counter becomes a stage and the diner becomes a spectator.\u201d Gio Esteve<\/em><\/p>\n

There is no distance. The story is built live, and the closeness of the counter amplifies the experience, allowing the diner to become an active part of the narrative.<\/p>\n

Living art: beyond the plate<\/span><\/h6>\n

The proposal extends beyond the restaurant thanks to the \u201cAlmanac Goes Art\u201d<\/em> initiative. The hotel becomes an extension of the project, with spaces intervened by the artist himself.<\/p>\n

The Penthouse<\/em>, transformed into an immersive environment, allows guests to live alongside the works. Not only to observe them, but to inhabit them.<\/p>\n

Art ceases to be an object and becomes an experience, and an invitation to establish a more intimate and direct relationship with contemporary creation.<\/p>\n

Balance as a creative challenge<\/span><\/h6>\n

One of the project\u2019s greatest achievements is its coherence and harmony. Neither discipline dominates the other. Art doesn’t eclipse cuisine, nor does cuisine dilute the artistic message, and the great rapport between Esteve<\/em> and Mill\u00e1n<\/em> is evident.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That intermediate point, difficult to achieve, is what makes the experience truly relevant. Everything is at the service of the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel this project as a recognition\u2026 a prize halfway along the road.\u201d Jimmy Mill\u00e1n<\/em><\/p>\n

When creativity becomes experience<\/span><\/h6>\n

\u201cUnion\u201d<\/em> is the word that best defines this project. Union between disciplines, between languages, between people.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Mill\u00e1n<\/em> and Gio Esteve<\/em> have created something more than a menu: they have built a new way of narrating. One in which art can be touched, smelled and tasted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThis experience is: Art + cuisine. Person + product. Story + experience. One plus one: something simple that, when it fits, becomes something you can feel.\u201d Gio Esteve<\/em><\/p>\n

A highly recommended experience, available once a month, which you can book through this link.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(*)<\/strong> Photos provided by Almanac Hotel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A biography turned into a tasting menu This is not a conventional collaboration, but a true creative symbiosis. Together, they have managed to turn the artist\u2019s life journey into a complete gastronomic narrative, where each creation functions as a chapter and each bite as a way of understanding his universe. As stated in the original […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":100313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5914,5911,5901,5900],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurants","category-hotspots-en","category-artists","category-art-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nArt you can eat: Jimmy Mill\u00e1n and Gio Esteve at Virens Barcelona<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jimmy Mill\u00e1n and Gio Esteve transform art and gastronomy into a sensory tasting menu at Virens Barcelona (Almanac Hotel).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/en\/art-you-can-eat-jimmy-millan-gio-esteve-virens-barcelona\/\" \/>\n<meta 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