euskalkultura.eus

Former pilotaris, Pedro Txikuri, Santi Txikuri, Enrique Bonilla and Rafael Badiola were the center for a beautiful tribute at the end of May, as part of an event that joined Basque gastronomy and this most appreciated sport in Mexico. The initiative was proposed by Pablo San Roman who gathered nearly 300 people at the club Mundet including food lovers, pilota fans, friends and family. 

Mexico City, Mexico.   The Mundet Club in Mexico City was the site of the second edition of the “From Pilota to the Kitchen” Festival, an event promoted by Basque chef Pablo San Roman, bringing the passion of Basque food and pilota together.  The day also included some exhibition matches at the fronton, followed by a delicious meal.

“It was a very emotional event because 300 people gathered, many of which we hadn’t heard from for more than 20 years,” Miren Aguirre, former president of the Mexico Basque club and daughter of one of the honorees, Pedro “Txikuri” Aguirre told EuskalKultura.com,

Aguirre’s family enjoyed the day, especially due to the surprise tribute that Pedro and Santi, along with Enrique Bonilla and Rafael Badiola received.  “My father, who is 82, still has the soul of a pilotari, just like my uncle Santi.  They really enjoyed the anecdotes as well as the live matches, as well as those shown on ETB,” Miren said.  “This small tribute at the Mundet really moved them because it was a surprise. And well, in regards to the family, we are thankful that was are all still together. So let’s do more events like this!”

Pilota and Gastronomy

“From Pilota to the Kitchen,” is a project by Pablo San Roman who came up with the idea of celebrating two or three editions a year.  He is already planning a third one to take place around November.  The format includes exhibition matches, followed by a meal with friends.  This time, the competition included Jai Alai games with Imanol López and Mikel Arriola vs. Daniel Inclán and Cristof Sánchez; and Pala, with teams Mikel Urrutia and Pepe Musi vs.  Azael Herrera and Pello Txikuri.

Afterwards, the meal inspired by the Basque tradition included: mushroom croquettes, stuffed Piquillo Peppers with cod, avocado cannelloni stuffed with crab, fish soup, steak and ribs with potatoes, salad with Navarrese dressing and for dessert, Santiago cake with Orujo ice cream.

More photos of the day in a report by Masaryk Tv, here.