Ada Parellada was born into an ancient fonda, a popular restaurant and hotel typical in Catalonia, and managed by her family – in fact, the Fonda Europa has been run by Ada’s family since 1771.

Ada grew up among pans and pots, and opened her first restaurant, Semproniana, in Barcelona when she was 25 years old and where she is still active. Her main interests are food and sustainability, defined as ways to improve the food system, focused on local producers and fighting against food waste as well as public education about these issues.