Latest Projects
Blanca is a versatile professional with extensive experience in the food industry. Her passion for food goes beyond cooking, as she has also curated events, co-founded a podcast, given talks and developed promotion strategies. She believes that food is a powerful tool to bring people together and is always looking for new ways to explore this connection.
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Art Plate Ireland
Blanca and Santina Kennedy's Art Plate collaboration is a unique project that bridges the gap between the worlds of galleries and food culture in Ireland. They are bringing Irish food history and modern Irish producers to life through art and are collaborating with the National Gallery of Art, Beyond the Pale and Taste of Dublin in 2024. This exciting project promises to be a feast for the senses, showcasing the best of Irish art and food culture.
Eat, Drink Spain
Blanca is the "eat" part of Eat Spain, Drink Spain for 2024. She is in charge of developing the events that will serve to highlight Spain's top food producers from olive oil to ibericos. She aims to also bring art and culture to this year's edition.
Eat Spain, Drink Spain 2024
Blasta Books 5 Soup 2023
In Blasta Books #5: Soup, authors and Spice Bags podcast co-hosts Blanca Valencia, Dee Laffan and Mei Chin take you on a journey around the globe from the comfort of the communities within Ireland. The soups they have collected reflect individual cultures, memories and tastes, but they are also a reflection of Irish food today and the people behind it. The book was nominated for an Irish Food Writing Award in 2023.
"Soup is a snapshot of who we are today, and what we eat today. It is a mezcla, where Ahmet Dede’s Turkish red lentil soup sits alongside Sasha Shyskina’s recipe for Ukrainian borsch. The book is both a manifesto, and a curriculum, because the authors show a continuum between Myrtle Allen’s watercress soup, and sopa de tortilla from the Dublin food truck El Milagro. We can describe their thesis as exploring both the Continuity of Change, and the Origin of Influence. They describe an Irish food world that is everything, everywhere, all at once, and they tell this story with subtlety and respect. Soup is a jewel, in a bowl." – John and Sally McKenna, McKennas' Guides
DO Rias Baixas
Blanca has extensive experience working with Spanish food and drink producers. Her marketing strategy for promoting wines from Rias Baixas in Ireland was multifaceted and unique. By linking the history and culture of Ireland and Galicia, she created a unique selling proposition that resonated with both consumers and trade. Collaborating with renowned chefs like Paul Flynn and highlighting the Camino de Santiago added to the allure of the wines.
Spicebags Podcast
Spicebags was an award-winning podcast that ran for four seasons 2019-2024. Named after everyone’s favourite Chinese-Irish drunk snack, Spice Bags was about Ireland’s relationship with food from the outside world. Season 1 was co-hosted by Mei Chin, Julia Langbein and Blanca. Season 2-4 was co-hosted with Dee Laffan, Mei Chin and Blanca Valencia and it was part of the Headstuff Podcast Network. Spicebags collaborated with festivals (Taste of Dublin, Food on the Edge) and brands like Guinness Storehouse across Ireland in its quest to promote a diverse food culture. The podcast also had a website with a blog and interviews with industry people and journalists.