The Calçotada Tradition
The Tradition That Started Everything
A calçotada is not just a meal.
It’s a ritual of participation:
someone brings the calçots, someone prepares the sauce, someone lights the fire, everyone eats together.
It is messy, communal, warm, and deeply human — the complete opposite of the isolated food culture dominating today.
What we discovered when we brought it abroad
Through calçot deliveries and calçotadas across Northern Europe, we learned:
- People crave real experiences, not endless digital convenience.
- Sharing food creates instant community, even among strangers.
- Immigrants felt closer to home.
- Locals felt welcomed into a new culture.
- Restaurants filled up effortlessly and reduced waste dramatically.
A tradition that crossed borders
What began as one event between friends became:
- 500-person calçotadas in Eindhoven
- Seasonal calçotadas in Amsterdam
- A network of restaurant partners ready to host
- Thousands of people discovering a Catalan tradition
Calçotada showed us that food is not just nourishment —
it is the most scalable social technology ever created.
The spark that created The Onion Guy
This tradition revealed a universal truth:
people are happiest when they eat together.
The Onion Guy exists to bring that truth to the world — by expanding beyond calçots, beyond Catalonia, and empowering many traditions to travel globally.
Carry this forward
You can help shape the next chapter.