The gastronomic offer of San Telmo Market in a 15-minute city
Speculation on the different stalls, shops, and services that might emerge at the San Telmo Market in Buenos Aires after an era of long periods of extreme heat and droughts
“We are explorers of the edible world, we find new methods and new treasures, we learn to forge, to feel the world and to consume responsibly. This can gradually influence the way people eat, not only in the best restaurants”.
René Redzepi in “A Work in Progress: A Journal”
This research and design project focused on addressing the question: “What would be the offering of a market in a 15-minute city?” which arises from the convergence of two fundamental concepts: the notion of the “15-minute city” and the realm of gastronomy.
Main Objectives
- Redefine Buenos Aires City based on usage, proximity, and the reduction of displacements.
- Understand how the gastronomic process (the intersection of food, creativity, and innovation) will be crucial for the immediate future of the sector.
Specific Objective
- Address the lack of support in understanding usage possibilities and the lack of citizen empowerment due to the difficulty of interpreting and reading urban spaces.
Through this study, the gastronomic offer of San Telmo Market was examined to explore how it adapts to and contributes to the vision of the San Telmo neighborhood, immersed in the future Buenos Aires City (a 15-minute city). It also describes the role of creativity and innovation in generating culinary experiences within it.
It sought to shed light on the interrelationship between urban planning (ecological, economic, and social) and gastronomy. Both the archetype map of San Telmo Market and the accompanying images serve as a gateway to the future development of markets and the food industry in new urban environments.
We have relied on Carlos Moreno’s notion of the “15-minute city” throughout the entire process, following it as a guiding thread. On one hand, we have addressed the main urban complexity, which translates into the question:
“Can human civilization, as we know it today, survive by the end of this century with the increasing climate change and its systemic effects?”
On the other hand, we have considered the characteristics that constitute a sustainable city:
- ecology for more viable cities,
- economy for new efficient economic models (wealth generation, better distribution, employment, and human dignity),
- and positive social impact to improve democracies, promote coexistence among diverse communities, and foster equity.
Taking into account Moreno’s six essential functions for quality of life (adequate housing, proximity to work, local shopping and recreation, access to preventive health services, education, culture and entertainment, and optimal use of public space), this research and design work focused on local shopping, provisioning, and recreation as the main axis, with the optimal utilization of public space as its support.
Based on the research of weak signals, related works on the topic, and an extensive list of key locations, the focus was placed on San Telmo Market and its relationship with gastronomy. By considering food as the “proxy” that tells the story and offering of the market within Buenos Aires City, staged and conceived as a 15-minute city, we can discuss its ecological, economic, and social characteristics. Regarding the essential function number 3, “local shopping and recreation,” we have observed that:
- The future of food is influenced by a mix of environmental, technological, and cultural factors,
- Although it is impossible to predict with certainty what we will consume and how it will be produced in 20 or 30 years time, it is clear that creativity and innovation will have a significant impact on the culinary process (of the chef and/or gastronomic entrepreneur himself);
- And therefore, in shaping the food choices and consumption patterns of the diner.
René Redzepi (head chef, and co-owner of Noma restaurant in Copenhagen) supports the above by commenting that the call for better food goes hand in hand with the pursuit of a healthier environment. There is no conflict between a better world and quality food. Nowadays, the astonishing impacts of monoculture and large-scale industrial agriculture have generated significant environmental problems. Vegetables have lost nutrients in the process. The quality of meat from farmed animals and aquaculture is deficient. There is a clear lack of care that affects all elements of these products, a loss of common sense that has eroded how people perceive food.
“What does creative cuisine entail?” is the first of two questions that Bullipedia seeks to answer when talking about creativity in gastronomy.
A chef’s capacity for imagination defines the limits of his or her creative talent, regardless of the resources available, when it comes to culinary creation.
A more concise rephrasing of this statement could be: “The essence of culinary creativity lies in transforming cuisine in an original and unprecedented way, without relying on existing references or building on them to generate novel results”.
The Gastronomic Encyclopedia persists in saying that the essence of creation remains the same:
To use a product in a new way, to invent a technique, to create a tool or find a new use for an existing one, to obtain an unprecedented elaboration, be it intermediate or for tasting. Any of these options, or a combination of them, is a creation in the kitchen.
The second question Ferrá asks himself is “What does it mean to be innovative in the kitchen?”
We understand innovation as any new creation (original and relevant, i.e. invention) and its economic implementation (which implies technical and commercial viability). To innovate is, then, to be able to generate a profit, to make a creation profitable, positioning it in the market in which it will be consumed.
By understanding how creativity and innovation are shaping the future of food and how gastronomy can play a role in addressing some of the planet’s biggest challenges, we can better grasp the significance of these developments.
Bestiario, a consultancy specializing in information design and data visualization, collaborated with the Telefónica Foundation to produce and design the exhibition “Auditing the creative process” by Ferrán Adriá.
Together with Ferrán, they began to create materials to visually represent the theory he has developed around creativity. It was there that conceptually the development of the map of the creative process began. This map functions as a structuring agent for the content of the exhibition and the other pieces on display.
José Aguirre, founding partner of Bestiario, defined creativity as “the capacity or ability to generate ideas in a sustained way”. Andrés Ortíz, a member of the Bestiario team, expressed that this concept has lost depth, which the map has managed to re-establish.
Predicting exactly what we will be eating in the coming years is a difficult task, but there are some key trends that are likely to shape the future of food:
- Sustainability: Plant-based diets, Alternative protein sources, Environmentally friendly packaging and distribution methods
- Food technology
- Health and well-being
- Social justice: Traceability
- Reducing food waste
Some examples of gastronomic establishments that can be found on the map of San Telmo Market include:
- Indulgent Gastronomy
- Fusion Gastronomy
- Molecular Gastronomy
- Carbon-Neutral Gastronomy
Other examples of food and/or raw materials include:
- Authentic, cultivated, and alternative meats
- Chicken, eggs, and substitutes
- Seasonal fruits and vegetables
Furthermore, as inspiration, we took into account the Micro-Macrocentro Project of the Government of Buenos Aires City, which aims to transform the area from functioning exclusively as a financial center to becoming another neighborhood of the city. In other words, we sought to carry out a sort of transformation of San Telmo Market itself, turning it into an area with gastronomic, cultural, commercial, and service offerings, an ideal area for implementing the concept of the 15-minute city. The goal is to promote equitable and sustainable urban development.
