Papalosophy. A Spanish cookbook. A cookbook for anyone that loves food and photography in equally radical measures. A Spanish feast for your stomach & your eyes.

Papalosophy is a cookbook.

But a cookbook that is alive. A cookbook that makes you excited about food, about cooking, about life!

The Papalosophy Duo

We set out to create something truly original – a cookbook that would blend Joel’s creative, natural and instinctive cooking style together with Aldo’s aesthetic lens. And we both bring more than a touch of crazy to the table making for explosive results.

 But Papalosophy is more than a cookbook. It tells a personal story of how a wild blonde kid from New Zealand found himself in Barcelona armed with a sharp knife and Spanish heritage. 

Papalosophy is inspired by a lifetime spent seeking out authentic flavors and creative preparations with influences from his Catalan family, world travels and an obsessive study of the world of gastronomy, nutrition and eating anything and everything.

Crossing paths with Aldo, the Papalosophy duo immediately found a common creative groove. They spent several months plotting a book that would showcase their creativity and uncontrollable passion for food in all its delicious glory.

With the recipes written and tested, they began the mammoth task of cooking and shooting almost 80 recipes in Joel’s apartment(s) (shooting took place across three apartments because Joel just loves the relaxing experience of moving houses). Both holding down demanding full-time jobs (Joel as EatWith Global Community Manager and Aldo as an in-demand fashion photographer), they spent weekends and late nights together in the kitchen cooking, styling and shooting every dish over and over again.

But it wasn’t just about shooting the recipe; it was also about capturing the spirit of the amazing produce and traditions that go into Spanish cooking. It was about producing a cookbook with images that make you hungry and smile at the same time, because food is fun, and no-one represents this more than Joel and Aldo.

Barcelona – the perfect backdrop

It’s about the food, the story and the place. And there is no place like Barcelona. Aldo and Joel decided to shoot Papalosophy in and out of the kitchen using the natural beauty and insane creativity that the city feeds you on every corner. The book features some of Barcelona’s most iconic and inspiring settings and for anyone that has visited, or plans to, prepare to be reminded why this city is impossible to leave.

Fashionable & Fresh

When people think of Spanish food it’s either Ferran Adrià and his spherified genius or a tourist trap on Las Ramblas serving up reheated paella that is enough to makes you cry. But Spanish food for me is the ultimate cuisine. The best of the land and the sea (think silvery blue sardines) combined with amazing produce (artichokes, wild mushrooms and simply amazing tomatoes) taken to new heights with the mountain flavours of rosemary and thyme and exotic spices like smoked paprika and saffron.

Immersing himself in traditional Spanish cooking with exposure to modern techniques and styles, Joel developed a style that combined his kid-like enthusiasm with a mature respect for Spanish gastronomy. And so he created the recipes you will find in Papalosophy – exciting, authentic, fresh and tasty.

Including Spanish and Catalan classics like Fideua with Squid Ink Allioli, Pulpo Gallego and Leche Merengada, as well as Joel’s creations like Membrillo-Roasted Pumpkin with Almond Cream, Green Gazpacho with Sumac Yogurt and Saffron ‘Pulled-Chicken’ with Blackened Corn.

To make this cookbook reality, Papalosophy needs a kick-start.

Why self-publish?

We decided to self publish for two simple reasons. (1) We wanted to move faster than any publisher could. Despite several offers, we declined, as the deal would have seen the book hit the shelves a lot later than the beginning of 2016 as we plan. (2) We wanted to have complete creative control. We painstakingly created the content and worked with our designer to make sure we achieved a consistent style from the start to the end.

We wrote, cooked, styled, shot, edited and with our designer Jouk created the finished product – guaranteeing something truly original that no mainstream publisher has room for.

Why €20,000?

As our first offering, the aim is to bring Papalosophy to market and simply cover costs. Our first print run will be limited and designed to reward the people that believed in us from the start as well as those that know Papa Serra and have been patiently waiting for the book. We have set the price to cover costs of printing and postage, as well as some of the resources invested over the last two years (recipe preparation and production, photography, book design and website and marketing materials).

The €20k will allow us to print 2000 copies and break even. We have several promotional and guerrilla-marketing ideas that we will also action as soon as the book sees light. With the funding and our limitless energy, we are confident Papalosophy will be an amazing success and springboard us onto new and exciting projects (we already have some ideas).

 Papalosophy is a cookbook for the life glutton, where one serving is never enough.

Source: ICNW