Those who doubt the inspiring, restorative powers of international travel need look no further than “Cocinando un tribute” (“Cooking: A Tribute”), a book documenting a month-long sojourn to Mexico, Peru and Colombia by the 35-member staff of Spain’s international award winning El Celler de Can Roca. The volume, which also contains recipes developed exclusively for the tour, was designed by Spain’s Zoo Studio, and it is a revelation.
Let’s start with that stunning binding, which actually incorporates a fabric reminiscent of pre-Columbian textiles; you’re going to have no problem locating this book on a shelf. (And for many more binding options, from the exotic to the everyday, we encourage PRO members to check them out here, and nonmembers to download our free binding cheat sheet. Not a member? Why not start your PRO membership right now?)
Another nice touch is the half-wrap book jacket so common (and cool) in Japan and South Korea – a delightful way to bring some of the vibrant scenes inside the book (see below) briefly to the surface.
Further spicing up this reminiscence of exotic travel is the use of four different papers. As the designers explain: “The chapter “El viaje” [“The trip”] is dynamic and printed on offset paper similar to that of newspapers. The letters from Josep Roca in the chapter ‘Inspiration,’ in a smaller format, are printed like a travel journal. The part [on] the dishes has a classical design and a printing on semi-matte coated paper like art books, and the recipes are printed only with black ink on a non-white paper with a grey tone.”
Books today are increasingly being valued more as souvenirs of journeys taken (real and imagined) than strictly as vehicles for information, and this one is an inspiring example of that.
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