The emblematic Sala Hipòstila of Park Güell hosts an unusual exhibition from March 17 to April 9. In collaboration with the Barcelona Pastry Guild, the park managed by BSM, has selected 10 master pastry chefs to present giant Easter eggs inspired by different elements of the park. The exhibition, titled Gaudi in chocolateinaugurates the traditional monas season in the Catalan capital and combines several current celebrations of the city: the centenary of Antoni Gaudí and the designation of Barcelona as World Capital of Architecture. The winning egg from a public vote will later be exhibited at the Barcelona Chocolate Museum, while the rest will be distributed in a ceremony with children from schools near the park.
The pastry chefs had only one condition: to interpret some element of Park Güell, one of the most recognizable symbols of Barcelona. The pieces were selected from an open call to all member pastry shops. Miquel Zaguirre, president of the Barcelona Pastry Guild, stressed that “the work done by Gaudí inspires artists.” The symbolism and colors of the park appear reinterpreted in chocolate through different shapes from the characteristic salamander to the curves of the benches or the columns of the Hipòstila Hall itself where the works are exhibited. Pastry shops from Barcelona participate, but also from towns such as Vic, Terrassa, Esparreguera or Tarragona.
One of the participants is Adán Sáez, from the pastry shop Xocosavein Riudoms, a town that many consider the birthplace of Gaudí. Inspired by him, Sáez has worked with his team for the last month, taking advantage of free time in the middle of the high season for pastry shops. His work has attracted attention both for the size of the egg and for the figure of the architect reproduced in chocolate. “Everything here has its challenge: achieving these dimensions with chocolate, but we wanted to represent Gaudí embracing his work,” he explained. According to him, as happens in many of Gaudí’s own constructions, the piece “does not have an internal structure that supports it”, it is made and supported entirely of chocolate.
Another of the participants, José María Rodríguez, from La Pastisseria, on Aragón Street, has dedicated three weeks to its creation. Their proposal pays tribute to the well-known benches of Park Güell without losing the classic shape of the Easter egg. Other notable names also include Lluc Crusellas, winner of the World Chocolate Masters in 2022, who presents the piece titled The egg through the window.
During the exhibition period, visitors will be able to vote for their favorite piece using a QR code located at the bottom of each work. The winning egg will be moved to the Chocolate Museum on April 9. The others will break into a celebration with children from nearby schools, following the Catalan tradition of the Easter mona, in an activity titled Trencadís del Trencadísa symbolic breaking of the chocolate pieces.
The celebration also coincides with a particularly symbolic year for the city: the centenary of Antoni Gaudí, the hundred years since the opening of Park Güell to citizens and the designation of Barcelona as World Capital of Architecture. Although the pieces are exhibited protected behind glass and in a space with shade and constant ventilation, the question remains whether the ten chocolate works will remain intact until the end of the exhibition. “And so much!”, the pastry chefs have responded with laughter when the doubt has been raised. At a distance, some children visiting the park look at the pieces expectantly, waiting for the moment when it is time to break the chocolate.
