As part of the Art of Food event, the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2016 was awarded to Minho, Portugal and Catalonia, Spain. An outstanding group of local and international entities, policy-makers and journalists have been present to follow the ceremonial events in La Pedrera. After being welcomed by the Catalan Minister of Tourism, Felip Puig, several academics as well as professionals from Catalonia addressed topics, such as gastronomy and tourism, health and nutrition, cuisine, tradition and education in gastronomy. Josep, M. Pelegri, the Catalan Minister of Agriculture closed the event with some final remarks and opened the buffet of refreshments and snacks, which were provided by the Fundació Institut Català de la Cuina – Cuina Catalana.

Casa Milà, better known under the name La Pedrera was constructed by Antoni Gaudí between 1906 and 1912 and served as the magnificent location for this great event. This unique architectural building has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984. Besides hosting the Catalonia La Pedrera Foundation, it is a reference point in Barcelona for conferences and exhibitions related to arts and culture.