30 Years on Stage

To celebrate Lillas Pastia’s 30th anniversary, we created a gift voucher box that distils the restaurant’s essence into a miniature stage. The restaurant takes its name from Lillas Pastia’s tavern, the setting of a famous scene from Bizet’s opera Carmen. The cover features the façade of the former Casino of Huesca, which was the restaurant’s home for 29 years. Inside, a series of die-cut layers reveals different scenes: Carmen dancing with a truffle slicer; signature ingredients from the restaurant’s cuisine, such as artichoke and fish; and the hand of Lillas Pastia himself, the tavern keeper, holding truffle (the restaurant’s star ingredient) and wine. The piece is completed with a band of golden carnations on the front and golden truffles on the back, bringing opera and haute cuisine together.

To round off the anniversary celebrations, we created Habanera, a collection of chocolate cigars that once again connects Lillas Pastia with the world of Carmen, the Bizet opera from which the restaurant takes its name. Named after one of the opera’s most famous arias, they were crafted by master chocolatier Raúl Bernal. Presented in individual cases and in a box of six, they evoke the ritual of the cigar, traditionally associated with the end of a fine meal: that final gesture that allows a memorable meal and a special occasion to linger a little longer.

As a final gesture, we took the stage to the streets of Huesca and handed out carnations to the people of the city. Flowers are traditionally associated with the end of a performance, when the audience presents them to the artists as a sign of appreciation. This time, we reversed the gesture: Lillas Pastia gave flowers to its audience, thanking the city for being part of its story over the past 30 years.