PONT SEC restaurant, Denia (ES)
Pep Romany, the visionary behind the culinary venture PONT SEC, wears many hats – a chef, a gastronome, a flavour reclaimer, an experience seeker, a sensation provider, and more, that may be a tiny bit pretentious.
While some might think of him as an artist, Pep hesitates to embrace the label: "I'm not an artist; I'm an artisan. I don't compose; I interpret scores crafted by others, whether ages ago or just yesterday. It doesn't matter to me. I conduct an orchestra; others are the artists."His culinary philosophy revolves around the 3 Ts: Tradición, Territorio, y Temporada (tradition, land and season).
He is famous for his cocas (topped flatbreads), his rice dishes and for the passion he brings that makes everything turn out perfectly.
Simple yet intricate, he leads his team with a thoughtful respect for culinary heritage, the wisdom of the grandparents, the retrieval of history, the connection to the land, and the pursuit of innovation, investigation, and modernity. His menu reflects a willingness to explore the new.
Pep recognizes the importance of sustainable tourism education in fostering responsible tourism, steering clear of mass-produced, low-cost, and low-value experiences. He integrates sustainability into culinary practices, from individual initiatives to gaining public and sector-wide acknowledgment.
For that reason, he communicates the adopted circular and sustainable elements of PONT SEC, through various channels. For instance, on their website (pontsec.com) he speaks about their values in a letter, where he explains the philosophy of the business in a user-friendly, simple but detailed way.
He highlights the aspects he considers important within PONT SEC’s everyday activities:
■ reducing material and energy costs (his philosophy is based on the 3T)
■ extending the products lifespans through different techniques (preserves food through salting)
■ mitigating risks from resource scarcity and regulation (he uses local)
■ protecting indigenous food varieties (native cereals, authentic sheep breeds, specific pumpkins, sheperd’s raimet, etc.)
Taking into consideration the fact that Denia has long been hailed as a national haven for fishing and savouring seafood, a reputation rooted in ancient times within its activities, PONT SEC is building on this through different circular actions, one of which is up-cycling raw materials and preventing waste. As it is well known, historical fishermen faced challenges with limited markets and resources in close proximity. Transporting and preserving highly perishable foods like fish and cephalopods posed difficulties, compelling fishing communities to innovate economic preservation techniques. These methods not only minimized food loss but also enabled consumption during times of the year when fishing trips with very rudimentary means were not possible.
One such ancient practice widespread on the Mediterranean coast is salting, a salt preservation technique. Another akin method, sans salt, involves sun-drying. In the Marina region, where Denia is situated, sun-drying finds its pinnacle with the prized octopus. PONT SEC is using these methods within its kitchen.
To make a tangible impact on the local population, these traditional techniques and their resulting products require acceptance within the restaurant sector. Beyond preserving the techniques, fostering a demand for them becomes crucial. Generating this demand requires consumer involvement through education and information about the properties and organoleptic values of the products. Integration into the culinary creations of esteemed local chefs further coagulates the connection between the product and the community.
Within its activities, PONT SEC is also protecting the indigenous food varieties of the region. This also impacts on several levels the region where they operate as well as the labour market of the area alongside their customers.
This project consists of maintaining the original ecosystems of the restaurant's region. While high-quality fishing in the area enjoys national acclaim and faces no severe subsistence challenges, other native products have faced neglect. These include:
■ cereals which are native to the region (such as Marina wheat),
■ Indigenous sheep breeds (like the guirra race), and
■ various cultivated and wild varieties of indigenous edible vegetables (e.g., specific pumpkins, shepherd's raimet, etc.).
Pep Romany, actively collaborates in the cultivation and utilization of these exceptional products in his culinary creations.
He has emerged as a loyal advocate for these often-overlooked ingredients, actively promoting them. Romany recognizes the importance of public knowledge and education in the use of these products to ensure their continued availability. This effort is crucial not only for preserving the distinctiveness and originality of flavours and textures but also for contributing to the overall uniqueness of the dishes in which they are featured. These indigenous ingredients and their unique culinary applications serve as the foundational pillars that make the cuisine of the territory truly distinctive.
The impact PONTS SEC is generating with implementing and nurturing various circular actions within its activities, can be seen on three levels:
Economic: it is using local ingredients which boosts the local economy, eliminating the need of using large value chains, which for the consumer means lower costs
Social: generates new job opportunities for producers (fish dryers, speciality shops, sheperds, growers) and respects the 3Ts’ principle Tradición, Territorio, y Temporada (tradition, land and season).
Environmental: Km0 sourcing, means no transportation costs, no CO2 footprint.
The above actions through their numerous benefits can be seen as a result of implementing the Triple Bottom Line, which in fact refers to the proper management of tourism resources where all the economic, socio-cultural and environmental aspects of a destination are maintained.
According to Pep Romany, the most important ingredient of the business is the people. Teamwork is the secret of PONT SEC. “Just as food is best enjoyed in company, it is best cooked with other people too” - they say. At PONT SEC, a united but diverse team, a team that extends beyond the kitchen represented by breeders, farmers, grocers and fishermen are taking care and working together for providing unforgettable cuisine experiences to customers. Concentrating on the PONT SEC philosophy, care, passion, obsession and the desire to make guests feel happy at PONT SEC tables are the driving forces of the team.
The importance of communicating with their customers and creating as wide visibility as possible for the PONT SEC vision and value, social media channels (Fb, Instagram, etc.) are regularly used.
Having a number of 6.400 followers reflects that the social media presence is considered an important communication tool within the business.
Being a circular tourism business it is very important how and to whom you communicate.
PONT SEC through its website and social media channels, as well as via conveying the message of their circular vision is making sure that all they have to communicate is put across and reaches their audiences. As the internal people of the business are made up by a diverse team, whose actions are driven by the same principles, PONT SEC, as any other small circular tourism business, needed to identify its stakeholders for communication when they started.
The communication of PONT SEC is transparent, consistent and convincing. It is user friendly, carries clear, creative, educational and “call to action” messages. To make it even more popular, communication is taking place in Spanish, Valencian and English, also adding the spice of traditional by the use of the Valencian language.
Case debate questions
● What is the economic, social and environmental added value of the value proposition of PONT SEC, which derives from its circular approach?
●PONT SEC is using old, traditional methods for preserving the perishable food. Argue if this action of theirs is well communicated to their stakeholders and if this is benefiting them in any ways? List what other key elements (if any) should be included in their circular message?
●Explain/discuss the benefits of 3Ps - Profit /Economic Sustainability, People /Social Sustainability, Planet/Environmental Sustainability from the circularity perspective of PONT SEC.
● PONT SEC is using different channels for communicating their circular value and philosophy behind the business. On the basis of what you have learnt from their case, develop a communication strategy for your or for other existing small tourism company.
●Pep Romany is using indigenous ingredients in his restaurant for various reasons. Name at least three of them and argue if they are part of/enhance the communication of the circularity of PONT SEC?
