Food Solidarity Podcast Episode #8: Rafael Rincón
Rafael Rincón is the founder of Fundación Gastronomía Social and a long-time member of the Social Gastronomy Movement. He is also one of ten recipients of the Food Solidarity Fund.
"I could say that I was born in the kitchen," said Rafa, whose parents have been running restaurants since he was three years old, and solidified his destiny at a young, yet meaningful, age. "Gastronomy is my life, it is where I feel comfortable, where I feel free, and it is where I can connect."
Gastronomy is much more than just fine dining for Rafa. Restaurants have the power to be in service to their community- a service much more impactful than placing a dish in front of a hungry customer. His ideal business model would be to prioritize social impact. But in a world where restaurants have come to prioritize profit over the community, Rafa finds himself uniquely empowered in his commitment to social gastronomy. If restaurants prioritized social impact, especially in times of crisis, then the community, and the others they serve, are certain to return the favor.
"Restaurants are called restaurants because they are supposed to feed two things: the body and the spirit."
Rafa's passion comes from experience in the Basque Country, where his grandmother is from. There, communities and restaurants are intertwined, and because of these relationships, people rally to revive these businesses in times of crisis. This connection is based on a relationship of reciprocity. One where restaurants serve as both a social and educational hub that gives back to the community that gives to them.
The pandemic has been devastating for restaurants around the world, but for Rafa, this is an opportunity for dramatic industry change. "The business model [for restaurants] must be absolutely transformed...this pandemic opened many eyes, and here we have the first challenge- how can we design a new model that operates in an ethical way."
Rafa's proposed solution? CCP- Connections, Collaboration, and Partnerships.
"If every single restaurant here in Chile, or in the world, makes the decision of getting involved socially, things are going to change extremely fast. They can educate the community, they can serve, obviously, good food, they can give opportunities through innovation, they can give opportunities to small producers...every single restaurant could be a hub, an amazing social hub for the community," says Rafa with certainty.
Those familiar with our work at SGM will understand this recipe for change. At the start of the pandemic, Rafa used the recipe of CCP to mobilize and launch Comida Para Todos: a solidarity platform that unites social organizations, public institutions, restaurants, and producers, seeking to promote Food Security. This initiative was a result of a Social Gastronomy Movement Virtual roundtable at the beginning of 2020: "Food for All."
Currently, the platform is present in Chile, Ecuador, Perú, Spain, and soon to be in Paraguay and Argentina. In just 7 months, Comida Para Todos: delivered 156 thousand lunches, fed 3,500 people, reactivated 21 restaurants, and generated more than 70 jobs.
Rafa's gift to gastronomy is his ability to connect and build relationships. Once a year, he brings the culinary world of Chile to the community with the Ñam Food Festival. "Last year, in 2019, there were six different ministries attending Ñam: education, culture, agriculture, fishing, economy... at the end of the day it is a place to celebrate the social aspect of gastronomy."
"Aristotle said that the human being must be social to survive. Do you know the equivalent today? Gastronomy must be social to survive."
Listen to Episode 8 of the Food Solidarity Podcast to hear Rafa's full plans for a better world.