On November 4, Gastronomic Forum Barcelona is going to provide further detail of EFOOD2026, an event organized by Elisava, FORK and Fòrum Gastronòmic of Barcelona. This event leads the way to the next edition of the International Food Design and Food Studies Conference, which will be celebrated in Elisava.
The event will host the presentation of the new Bachelor in Design for Food Systems, by Elisava and CETT, and will reflect on the new professional figure —the food designer— that emerges from the intersection of design and food.
EFOOD wants to explore questions such as: What happens when a chef’s expertise meets a designer’s vision? What new possibilities emerge when culinary mastery merges with systems thinking, creativity, and innovation?
On stage, chefs, designers, and food changemakers will give talks about the role of food design in shaping the future. Meanwhile, live on-site, creative teams will translate these visions into edible prototypes, immersive rituals, and forward-looking food experiences. The result is a living gallery—a space for tasting, reflection, and reimagining what food design can be.
Programme
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Welcome and Opening (Ricardo Bonacho)
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Presentation of EFOOD2025 – EFOOD2026 (Ricardo Bonacho)
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Presentation of the new Bachelor in Design for Food Systems by ELISAVA + CETT (Ricardo Bonacho and Vinyet Capdet)
11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Live Co-Creation (Raquel Llaberia, Berta Daina, Lucía Sanchis, Rafa Prat)
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: When Design Becomes Edible: Dialogues between visionary chefs and systems-thinking designers (Mariana Eidler, Javi Vergara, moderator: Ricardo Bonacho)
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Performative Roundtable: Provocations for the Future of Food. Share radical and visionary ideas, dialoguing with the audience (Vinyet Capdet, Juan Umbert, Julia Solsona i Rocabert, Mariana Eidler, moderator: Ricardo Bonacho)
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Presentation of the results of the live co-creation
Biographies of the lecturers
Julia Solsona i Rocabert, Baker and Chef (Europastry)
She has five years of experience in the food industry, specialized in the area of innovation. During the last three years she has worked in R&D&I. With a vision that combines creativity, technical rigor, and sensitivity towards consumption trends, she seeks to promote projects that respond to the current needs of the market and that open new possibilities in the field of food.
Berta Daina, Designer (Elisava)
Multidisciplinary designer specialized in sustainability, biomaterials, and circular design. Throughout her career she has developed projects that integrate art direction, product design, and the creation of educative experiences through workshops. Her practice is based on exploring the possibilities of new materials and responsible processes, promoting a conscious use of resources, and generating alternatives that promote circular models of production and consumption.
Juan Manuel Umbert, CEO & Cofounder of Makeat
He cofounded, along with Adrià Colominas, Makeat, a gastronomic innovation centre that encourages the development of products, services and experiences capable of moving, surprising and generating significant connections with people. Under his leadership, Makeat has developed the Food Thinking methodology. Along this path, he has promoted the creation of Plesh and, more recently, liQeat, an innovation and development centre focused on the liquid universe, created along with Marc Álvarez and Alicia Cuscó.
Lucía Sanchis, Designer (Elisava)
Product designer and industrial design engineer trained at Elisava. Her career is focused on ceramics applied to gastronomy, creating unique tableware and pieces that dialogue with contemporary cuisine. Along her creative process, she works in close collaboration with chefs and restaurant professionals. Each piece is conceived not only to be used but also to promote the narrative of the gastronomic experience.
Vinyet Capdet, Titular Professor CETT-UB and director of the Bachelor in Design for Food Systems
Titular professor at the Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy Campus CETT-UB, specialized in cuisine, gastronomy, and culinary trends. She is a technician in cooking, has a bachelor in tourism, and has a master in touristic management of the culinary and gastronomic heritage. In addition, she coordinates the CETT-UB Bachelor in Design for Food Systems, developed in collaboration with Elisava and CETT.
Mariana Eidler, director of the Barcelona Food Design Lab by Elisava and of the Bachelor in Design for Food Systems, Cofounder of FORK Organization
PhD in Food Design from the School of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, she is responsible of the Bachelor in Design for Food Systems at Elisava, in collaboration with CETT Barcelona. Currently, she manages the Barcelona Food Design Lab at Elisava (UVic-UCC) and is cofounder of the FORK Organization. Her professional career combines design practice, art direction, and teaching.
Ricardo Bonacho, Project Manager Barcelona Food Design Lab Barcelona and Cofounder of FORK Organization
Innovative and creative educator, researcher and lecturer in the fields of food, design and gastronomy. He has a bachelor in Communication Design and a PhD in Design, specializing in Food Design from the School of Architecture of the University of Lisbon. Currently he teaches at Elisava, where he coordinates projects at the Barcelona Food Design Lab. He is cofounder of the Fork Organization and the Food Design Lab in Lisbon. Apart from academia, he is the Gastronomic Innovation director at Imppacto, Catering & Events, and an advisor in design and gastronomy.
Javier Vergara Forcada, Chef R&D Mugaritz
Member of the team of Research and Development at Mugaritz, where he collaborates in creating new culinary narratives that combine science, design, creativity, and gastronomy. His work focuses on the experimentation with techniques, ingredients and processes that go beyond the limits of traditional cooking, generating experiences that invite reflection on the relationship between people and food.
About EFOOD
Founded in 2017 in Portugal by food designer Ricardo Bonacho, EFOOD is the world’s only conference entirely dedicated to the intersection of design, gastronomy, and food studies. Since 2022, it has been organized by FORK, a nonprofit think tank that champions food design as a driver of positive change. The last edition, held in 2024 at Elisava in Barcelona, showcased the institution’s strong commitment to innovation, social relevance, and transdisciplinary education.
