Instituto Español de Gastronomía

Sigüenza is a delightful renaissance town around one and a half hours to the north east of Madrid. Thousands of tourists come to visit each year and most will have noticed an unused 17thcentury seminary in the centre of the town. In fact the seminary, a large and imposing building, will not be unused for much longer; soon it will become the Instituto Español de Gastronomía.

The Institute will be one of the world’s leading centres of gastronomy training and research and will attract students from around the world to learn about international and especially Spanish cuisine. The Institute will also play a role in promoting healthy eating in Spanish schools and will link with universities to facilitate research into Spanish food and wine. The Institute has formal links with the world-famous Culinary Institute of America which has campuses on both coasts of the USA.

Much of the money for the Institute will come from private finance but there is a significant element of expenditure which is eligible for philanthropic funding, for example preservation of the historic building, scholarships, work in schools and research. In addition, some of the activities of the Institute will be attractive to commercial sponsors. DDA was asked in 2008 to undertake a feasibility study into the potential for (and costs of)
engaging with individual donors and commercial sponsors to provide additional financing.

DDA reported that there were excellent opportunities and the IEG has said it wishes to engage DDA to carry out the fundraising once other funding is in place.