Skift Take
Sleek dining for plant-based meals has become relatively the norm in U.S. cities, but the trend is still gaining momentum in Europe where vegetarian food once relegated to hippie establishments is playing a larger role in mainstream dining.
Flax & Kale is one of Barcelona’s trendiest vegetarian restaurants, but the family behind the plant-based brand is committed to the roots of health and building long-lasting a business based on family values.
A pioneer in vegetarian cuisine, Teresa Carles opened her first vegetarian restaurant in rural Catalunya in 1979 sparking an evolution in Spain’s meat-focused dining scene long before cultural acceptance of vegetarianism began shift. And while Carles herself was the first to adapt traditional Catalan cuisine for a more nutritional approach, it was the involvement of her family that’s grown the Teresa Carles empire into what it is today.
Currently clocking in with seven storefronts in and a newly opened research and development center, the Teresa Carles team have tapped into every global restaurant concept including traditional menu-based restaurants, juice shops, fast-casual takeaways and sophisticated dining. They’ve also harnessed the power of social media to land on every tourists' must-visit list and partner with global brands including H&M.
Sitting in the newly opened Flax & Kale’s kombucha chamber late last year, Teresa as well as her son and company CEO Jordi Carles shared their story with Skift Table.
Early Beginnings
The original Teresa Carles opened in 1979 in the Catalan province of Lleida where snails and
