A feature based on an interview with Elisabet Latorre, councillor for Tourism and Economic Promotion and deputy mayor for Economic Development of Sant Boi de Llobregat.
By Mercè Capilla
Sant Boi de Llobregat has turned the artichoke (carxofa in Catalan) into far more than a food product: it is an emblem of collective identity, deeply tied to the land and to the town’s farming memory. So explains Elisabet Latorre, councillor for Tourism and Economic Promotion and deputy mayor for Economic Development, who stresses that 60% of the municipality is forest, river and farmland. “Our roots are agricultural. Sant Boi made a clear commitment to preserving the mountain, the river and the farmland. That’s why the artichoke is a symbol of identity, not just of food,” she says.
This vision has been consolidated above all through two major annual events: the “Mes de la Carxofa” (Artichoke Month) and the “Carxofada”, an event that has grown over the years into a celebration open to everyone.
A month to celebrate the land
The “Mes de la Carxofa” has one central aim: to promote fresh, local produce. Sant Boi is the largest artichoke producer in the Baix Llobregat and has more than 800 hectares of Parc Agrari, far more than neighbouring towns. Latorre even recalls that the popular name “carxofa del Prat” stems from an old linguistic coincidence between crops grown in “prats” (meadows) and the place name El Prat.
Collaboration between the Cooperativa Agrària Santboiana, restaurants and shops is, according to the councillor, a fundamental pillar: “It’s deeply rooted; everyone gets involved.” This cooperation is also reflected in initiatives such as CarxoMenú and CarxoTapa, open to every restaurant and bar in town. The tapas trail even includes a “food passport” and a public vote that rewards the winning establishment with a hamper from the Parc Agrari.
Culinary creativity and a local value chain
The creativity of restaurateurs is another driving force of the “Carxofada”. Each establishment designs original dishes with fresh, hyper-local produce, revealing new ways of cooking the artichoke.
To strengthen the value chain, the town council runs campaigns with local producers and shops, promotes farmers’ markets and school activities, and has persuaded large supermarkets to add local-produce corners.
A celebration of identity with activities for all
The month’s parallel activities, such as CarxoKids, cooking demonstrations and CarxoSound, aim to strengthen cultural identity among different audiences and ages. Children’s workshops are run with the agricultural cooperative so that children learn where the produce comes from, while musical vermouth sessions combine food with local artistic talent.
Promoting tourism at home and further afield
The institutional communication strategy is broad: the town council’s social media, local and regional press, the municipal WhatsApp channel, influencers such as Valentina, winner of MasterChef 2024, and the monthly magazine delivered to every household. The town also works with the Consorci de Turisme del Baix Llobregat.
Beyond the region, Sant Boi runs ongoing initiatives with restaurateurs and associations throughout the year, acting as a “catalyst” for new food projects.
Sustainability and responsible management
The “Carxofada” follows environmental sustainability criteria: compostable packaging, reusable cups (many residents keep the one from the year before) and careful waste management for an event that can draw up to 1,800 people in a single day. “We have to be consistent: we can’t promote the Parc Agrari and at the same time generate plastic waste,” Latorre points out.
Challenges and the future
The main organisational challenge is still the weather: the Carxofada is held in March and all activities take place outdoors.
Looking ahead, the councillor highlights the continued growth of the town’s food offer and reveals, as an exclusive, the opening of a new restaurant led by Rafa Zafra, a well-known figure in Spanish cooking: “We believe talent attracts more talent.”
Sant Boi thus reaffirms its commitment to food tourism rooted in the land, sustainable and built on the collaboration of an entire local ecosystem.
Personal reflection
Carrying out this interview and writing the feature has been both an enriching and a challenging experience. One of the main difficulties was condensing a large amount of institutional, historical and culinary information into a coherent, fluent text that any reader could follow. The richness of the councillor’s account and the depth of the town council’s work demanded a balance between accuracy and clarity. It was also a challenge to turn data and technical explanations into an engaging story that conveyed what the artichoke means to Sant Boi’s identity.
During the process I felt especially motivated as I discovered how a local product can be the common thread of such a complete tourism, social and economic strategy. It was inspiring to see a town bring together residents, restaurateurs, farmers and shopkeepers in a shared, coherent and meaningful project. This cross-cutting view made me feel I was telling a real story, close to home and with deep roots.
The most important lesson I take away is that food is much more than what is cooked or eaten. It is territory, sustainability, education, identity and collaboration. The “Carxofada” and the “Mes de la Carxofa” are not just festivals: they are ways of passing on culture and tools for community cohesion. I have also learnt the value of active listening in an interview: picking up on nuances, emotions and intentions makes for a more human and authentic story.
Ultimately, this assignment has shown me that food journalism can be a privileged window onto how a town builds its future on its farming past, its producers and its collective strength.
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