"Gastronomy is a strategic tool for building relationships and creating memories."

Gastronomy has gained prominence in corporate events, becoming a tool for fostering connections, strengthening relationships, and creating memorable experiences. Javier Tros de Ylarduya, president of the Spanish Club of Haute Cuisine and director of Javier Tros Experiencias, has been working with chefs, restaurants, producers, artists, and unique venues for more than fifteen years. In this interview, he advocates for a concept of luxury based less on material possessions and more on access to authentic experiences that are difficult to replicate.

 

Gastronomy has always been a part of corporate events. ¿To what extent has it evolved from being a mere complement to becoming a strategic part of the experience?

Cuisine is no longer simply a break for a meal. When well-conceived, it can become the central theme of the entire event and a strategic tool for generating emotions, relationships, and memories.

A good culinary experience allows a company to convey its values, recognize its best clients, strengthen its relationship with its board of directors, or foster cohesion among its executive team. It also creates a more intimate and relaxed atmosphere, where conversations flow in a way that?s hard to achieve in a conference room.

Companies are no longer just looking for a good restaurant. They want to surprise, excite, and offer something their guests could not easily arrange on their own. That is where gastronomy takes on true strategic value.

You design culinary experiences specifically for companies. What kind of services does Javier Tros Experiencias offer, and what sets you apart?

At Javier Tros Experiencias, we design and organize private experiences in haute cuisine, art, culture, and luxury tailored to companies? top clients, boards of directors, executive teams, incentive groups, and high-end travelers.

We don?t just reserve a table. We create a complete experience centered around top chefs, Michelin-starred restaurants, exceptional producers, wineries, artists, and unique venues.

We can organize everything from a private meal at a chef?s table, in their apartment, or at their own home to an exclusive visit to Pescaderías Coruñesas followed by a meal at Desde 1911; a gastronomic and artisticwith Felipao; a private wine tasting led by a renowned sommelier; a day with Pedro Subijana; an experience at a gastronomic society in San Sebastián; or a complete itinerary in destinations such as Córdoba, Galicia, Seville, or the Basque Country.

What sets us apart is access. Many of these experiences are made possible thanks to the personal relationships I?ve built over more than fifteen years with chefs, restaurants, producers, artists, and unique venues. These are experiences that typically do not appear in a catalog or are available on the conventional market.

As president of the Spanish Club of Haute Cuisine, I have organized more than 600 experiences. I have also created the charity event Chefs & Golf, the Master?s in Successful Restaurant Management program with the Complutense University, and Ryder Cook, an event that combines gastronomy and golf. That knowledge and that trusted network allow us to offer authentic, private experiences that are difficult to replicate.

How do you build a customized experience?

We always start with a question: What does the company hope to achieve with this event?

You don?t design an experience to build loyalty among ten strategic clients the same way you would a board of directors meeting, an international incentive trip, or a gathering aimed at strengthening a management team.

We analyze the profile and background of the attendees, the company?s objectives, the number of guests, the time available, the budget, and the brand?s values. From there, we design the content, select the chef or the appropriate venue, and create opportunities for interaction.

We also pay close attention to the details: the welcome, the seating arrangement, the conversation with the chef, the opportunity to step into a kitchen or visit a place normally closed to the public, and, when appropriate, the gift that attendees take home.

The budget is important, but it shouldn?t be the only starting point. First, you have to understand what emotion and what memory the company wants to create. Then you build the best possible proposal within its means.

What does the participation of a Michelin-starred chef bring to a corporate event beyond the cuisine itself?

A great chef doesn?t just provide an excellent meal. They bring a story of hard work, creativity, leadership, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence.

When the chef truly engages with the event?welcoming guests, explaining his philosophy, sharing his career journey, or conversing with them?the experience takes on a whole new dimension. The attendee ceases to be a restaurant customer and becomes a guest of the chef.

Furthermore, many great chefs are true entrepreneurs. They have built teams, managed talent, overcome crises, created a brand, and learned to innovate without losing their identity. All of this connects directly to the challenges faced by executives and allows for interesting parallels to be drawn with the business world.

What truly sets the experience apart isn?t being able to say you?ve eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant, but having personally met the chef, entered his world, and had a conversation with him that would normally be out of reach for thepublic.

What formats are most in demand by companies?

Currently, there is high demand for experiences tailored to small groups of key clients, boards of directors, and executive teams. Companies seek privacy, personalization, and a direct connection with the star of the experience.

Private lunches and dinners with renowned chefs, visits to producers, tastings led by specialists, events that combine gastronomy and art, and incentive programs that allow participants to discover a region through its cuisine are particularly popular.

One of our most signature formats begins with a private visit to Pescaderías Coruñesas to discover some of the finest fish and seafood available in Spain. Afterward, the group heads to the restaurant Desde 1911, where they enjoy a meal designed around the products they?ve just discovered.

We also visit El Celler de Can Roca several times a year?long considered the best restaurant in the world?where the Roca brothers show us their kitchen in action and give us a tour of their wine cellar.

In addition, the group enjoys experiences where they share a table with a renowned chef; gatherings in private settings, such as the chef?s own apartment or home; GastroArt events with the artist Felipao; gatherings at Basque gastronomic societies; and programs that combine top-tier restaurants, wineries, cultural heritage, and conversations with prominent figures.

Another project that encapsulates our philosophy well is Chefs & Golf, where we bring together renowned chefs, business leaders, and golf enthusiasts in a setting that fosters a very natural rapport among participants.

How can a gastronomic experience be used as a tool for networking, building customer loyalty, or fostering team cohesion?

Around a table, many hierarchies and formalities disappear. People relax, converse, and get to know one another in a much more authentic way. That?s why gastronomy is an extraordinary tool for building relationships.

For this to work, simply choosing an excellent restaurant isn?t enough. You have to design the experience with the participants? interactions in mind: the size of the group, the seating arrangement, the pace of the event, opportunities for participation, and the presence of the chef or host.

When it comes to building customer loyalty, a truly unique experience conveys recognition: the company shows that it knows and values that individual. For executive teams, sharing an exceptional experience outside the usual setting helps strengthen trust and generate conversations that wouldn?t arise in a conventional meeting.

The real value comes later. When, months later, attendees are still talking about that experience, the host company remains fresh in their memory. That is far more powerful than any conventional corporate gift.

Spain boasts chefs and restaurants of immense international renown. Is this potential being sufficiently harnessed to position the country as a destination for high-level events and incentives?

Spain boasts one of the world?s most significant culinary heritages: great chefs, extraordinary restaurants, magnificent products, wines, markets, landscapes, and enormous cultural diversity.

Sometimes we still offer programs that are too conventional: sightseeing, a restaurant, and a hotel. Spain has so much more to offer. A group can chat with a Michelin-starred chef, meet an exceptional producer, tour a winery privately, cook at a Basque gastronomic society, or combine gastronomy with art, music, heritage, and design.

To further position ourselves as a high-end destination, we must shift from showcasing places to facilitating access to people and experiences. Luxury today is not just about paying the highest price. It consists of experiencing something authentic, personalized, and hard to come by.

Spain has all the ingredients to lead this segment. What we need is to present them with greater creativity, professionalism, and ambition.