The round table “What We Did for”, featuring Iris Jordán and Raúl Bernal as key figures, marked an inspiring start to the Talent Tour 2026 in Huesca. This intimate and honest conversation attracted young people, students, and the general public eager to hear how two local culinary icons built successful careers through effort, passion, and life-changing decisions.
Iris Jordán, chef and co-owner of the restaurant Ansils (in Anciles, Huesca Pyrenees), which earned a Michelin star in 2025 becoming one of the youngest chefs in Spain to achieve this, and Raúl Bernal Belarra, owner of the bakery Lapaca in Huesca — recognized as Best Master Chocolatier in Spain twice (including 2023), Best Artisan Bonbon in Spain in 2023, and Best Pastry Chef in Spain in 2025 — shared their personal and professional journeys over two hours. The session, part of the Conversations with Talent block of the Tour driven by the Princess of Girona Foundation (in collaboration with Fundación Ibercaja, the City Council of Huesca, and other organizations), served to motivate the youth on how to activate their own potential in medium-sized environments like Huesca.
From precarious routines to a culinary calling
In a flowing talk filled with real anecdotes, both unraveled their humble beginnings and key moments of reinvention. Iris Jordán recalled her early days in wedding banquets, where her role was limited to repetitive tasks: “All I did was put mashed potatoes, clean the plate, and I was down there in the basement.” She described how that routine led her to question her future: “There came a time when they had a house at the beach and were looking at it and I wasn’t going… and many things.” She also mentioned her involvement in a music group and the hardest lesson: learning to enjoy everything we have to live, something she struggled to assimilate. That discomfort propelled her to change her profession and write a new professional story focused on local cuisine, Pyrenean identity, and sustainability that today defines Ansils.
Raúl Bernal shared a parallel reflection. After choosing pastry with great passion, he admitted that many times “I didn’t realize what I was living or sometimes barely living.” He spoke about the need to tilt the balance towards “no” for numerous things — parties, concerts, outings — to prioritize the project: “Sometimes you go to the concert, sometimes you don’t… you have to choose to eliminate things and seek your moments.” He recounted a revealing episode: after a year working in the aluminum sector, where “I would hit it twice with the hammer, but the one who arrived at the site hit it three times… it didn’t matter to him,” he realized it wasn’t his path. That contrast made him value gastronomy even more: “What envy that everything that happens to you, what gastronomy gives you, how you see life.” Although he acknowledged that day-to-day life in the workshop or restaurant may seem “not that significant,” the opportunities — travels, experiences, cultural impact — compensate for the sacrifices.
Lessons for youth: effort, balance, and belonging
The conversation, with an authentic and unfiltered tone, advocated for values such as constant effort, management of failure and success, sustained passion, gastronomic identity (local product, tradition, and vanguard), and commitment to the territory. In the context of the Talent Tour — which focuses on employability, entrepreneurship, innovation, and personal development in cities like Huesca — this panel demonstrated that success does not require emigrating to large capitals: it can be built from the Pyrenees or the capital of Huesca, with brave decisions and a balance between professional dedication and personal life.
Local media such as Diario del AltoAragón and El Diario de Huesca highlighted the session as a powerful kickoff for the Tour, alongside robotics workshops and other activities. The full talk is available on YouTube, where the warmth, humor, and sincerity of both speakers can be appreciated.
With “What We Did for,” the Talent Tour 2026 in Huesca not only connected young people with nearby role models but also conveyed a clear and motivating message: the path to recognition involves making conscious choices, saying “no” to what doesn’t add value, living intensely what is chosen, and learning to enjoy the process, even in tough moments. A perfect example of how talent can flourish and create impact in non-metropolitan environments.
