Flax & Kale
Teresa Carles, the woman behind Flax&Kale, opened a vegetarian restaurant called El Paradís in her hometown, Lleida, in 1979. People weren’t so sure about this new concept (they were used to meat being at the center of the dish), but it proved to be a success. Teresa´s goal was to use the best products from her motherland to create recipes as tasty as her grandmothers' and mother's but in a natural and much healthier way.
Then in 2010 her son, Jordi Carles (currently CEO of the company), joined the business and used the knowledge he learned in the US to expand and adapt it. Another vegetarian restaurant was opened in Barcelona in 2011 (called Teresa Carles) and then Flax&Kale followed. Flax&Kale is a healthy flexitarian restaurant. All the dishes are designed not only to maximize the organoleptic pleasure, but also to consider their nutritional value. Of the menu, 80%is plant-based and the remaining 20% contains oily fish. Nowadays there are hardly any doubts about the correlation between a proper diet and a strong illness-free health. At Flax&Kale they feel passionate about feeding people better so they can be happier and live longer with an optimal health. Therefor the food is based on three pillars:
Tasty: taking care of one's health does not need to be boring, demanding or unpleasant. They make use of their experience and creativity to design recipes that guarantee the expected organoleptic pleasure. Deliciously healthy recipes!
Healthy: a proper diet is essential to achieve a strong and disease-free health and a fulfilling life. Therefore the foods and the cooking methods are chosen thoroughly, so as they provide the maximum of health benefits.
Sustainable: Flax%Kale´s story and traditions are based on the countryside. Whenever possible, they farm their own seasonal fruits and vegetables and the rest is chosen in favor of local produce, sustainability and environment.
Research is a very important part of the company and they recently invested €7 million in opening a 20,000 square meter R&D center in Lleida, which Jordi envisions becoming a center for healthy food operations for all of Spain or even Europe. The new center will be used to not only produce all the gluten-free vegan baked goods and juices for the individual storefronts, but also as a homebase for Teresa Carles’ upcoming retail lines.
“We’re going to continue growing in hospitality services, but one of the main strategies for the group is to start packaging some of the food and sell it at retailers. That’s the next thing,” says Jordi Carles. Kombucha is already considered mainstream in the United States, but is still making its way into the Europe market. And there are no major kombucha brands in Spain. So kombuchas as well as dehydrated crackers will be among the first products for the new line.
Looking towards the future, the team is currently looking at Madrid or Palma de Mallorca for expansion outside of Barcelona.
Locations:
Flax&Kales Cuina flexitaria: Carrer dels Tallers 74b, 08001 Barcelona, Spain.
Hours: Monday-Friday from 9:00 to 23:30, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 to 23:30
Flax&Kale Passage: Sant Pere Més Alt 31-33 (Main entrance), Trafalgar 26 (North entrance), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Hours: Monday-Friday from 9:00 to 23:30, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 to 23:30
Flax&Kale À porter: Passeig de Gràcia, 11, 08002 Barcelona, Spain.
Hours: Monday-Saturday from 10:00 to 22:00
Instagram: @flaxandkale
