Unbox

Creativity
IMAGINE, CREATE, INNOVATE

CREATIVE MODELS
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW IDEAS
Creativity
and cuisine
come together
to revolutionise
the gastronomic
scene

Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB

Creativity and
gastronomy
We have all heard about creative cuisine; a gastronomic trend
that breaks with traditional concepts of classic cuisine to
innovate with products, techniques and the presentation of
dishes. Creativity and cuisine come together to revolutionise the
gastronomic scene. This relationship arises from the culinary
industry's need to adapt to current trends and respond to
market demand, which calls for continuous innovation.
Chefs who embrace this trend are known for actively integrating
creative techniques into their daily work.
Contrary to popular opinion, ideas do not fall from the sky, but
require work, time and resources, which is why more and more
businesses are investing in R&D.
Although the process of creation is complex, we believe that
anyone can form and perfect their own ideas. This newsletter
attempts to explain creativity in detail and to make various
creative techniques available to everyone to simplify the process.
What is creativity?
While the most widely accepted definition of creativity is "the
ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas" (Cambridge
dictionary - Cambridge.org), over the years, numerous
psychologists, philosophers and artists have reformulated this
concept resulting in a wide variety of more complex definitions.
Many agree that the value of creativity lies in the final idea,
the creative result, its originality and ability to respond to the
current needs of society. However, from our point of view, the
final idea is only the tip of the iceberg. We understand creativity
as a means of creation that involves three elements; the creative
person, the creative process and the creative result.
Creativity is the
sum of the person,
the process and the
creative result
Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 3
The creative person
Throughout history, attempts have been made to identify the
characteristics and skills shared by the most brilliant minds in
order to obtain a personality pattern that describes creative
people. Knowledge, passion, curiosity and perseverance are some
of the qualities that define creative geniuses like Leonardo Da
Vinci, Salvador Dalí or Steve Jobs.
There may be people with a greater or lesser predisposition for
creativity, but it has been shown that this is not an innate quality,
but rather one that is acquired and improved through practice.
Creativity is a skill, and like any other skill requires discipline and
training. There is no excuse; if you want to be a creative person
you can start today.
Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB
The creative process
Waiting for inspiration? We're going to let you into a secret;
ideas don't just appear. The creative process is an activity that
requires time, effort and all our attention. Luckily, over the years,
many creative techniques have been designed to guide us and
adapt to the needs of the project. Creative techniques vary in
terms of objectives or the number of participants involved in the
creative process. There are techniques designed for creating ideas
from scratch, techniques that serve to develop or modify existing
ideas, and techniques that seek solutions to specific problems.
When it comes to preparing recipes, we find the first two types
of techniques most useful; techniques that allow creation from
scratch or those that enable modifications.
Here are three creative techniques widely used in other fields, so
that you can put your skills into practice.
The creative
techniques are tools
that guide us in the
creation process
Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 5
01
Brain
storming

IMAGINE
Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB
Brainstorming, designed by Alex Osborn in 1940, is a creative For Brainstorming to work effectively, the following guidelines
group technique that aims to generate new ideas based on a must be followed:
specific objective through the collaboration of team members.
Today, it is the creative technique best known for being efficient
and easy to implement.

So how does Brainstorming work? For about 30 minutes,

1 
Quantity before quality. The more ideas the better,
regardless of their feasibility.

all team members propose ideas in an orderly manner

based on an initially set goal.

All ideas are spoken aloud and put somewhere where

2 
Don't judge the ideas. They will be evaluated at the
end of the session, but during the practice criticism is
not allowed.
everyone can see them, on a post-it note or on a blackboard
for instance. It is important to pay attention to the ideas
of the rest of the team as the interaction between the
participants enhances creativity and leads to better results.
3 All ideas are valid. Even though an idea may seem
worthless, it can always serve as inspiration for
someone else.

At the end of the session, the ideas are grouped by topic

and evaluated according to their relationship with the initial
objective.
4 Be orderly. Await your turn to speak and listen
to the rest of the team.

5 Connect ideas. Get inspired and build on the ideas

of others.

6 Stay focused. The objective of the session should

always be present to guide us.

7 Use your imagination. Write, draw, ask questions

and suggest crazy ideas in the most visual way
possible.

The ideas are spoken

Soya Smell Orange
Surprise
Mirin VS Mandarin
box
Algae Taste Grapefruit

aloud and put somewhere

where everyone can see
Micro- XXL
chocolates Chocolate

them, on a post-it note, Blue

a blackboard, etc.
Square
Pink Rhombus
Yellow Diamond

Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 7
02
SCAMPER

CREATE
Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB
SCAMPER, like Brainstorming, is a technique that was also This technique is
very useful for
created by Alex Osborn and is another of the tools most
commonly used in creative sessions.

revamping and
This technique is very useful for revamping and modernising
old ideas.

It involves approaching the work objective from seven modernising old ideas.
different perspectives by applying the following concepts:

Substitute
What if you substitute an ingredient?
Or a technique?

Combine
How would you combine opposing flavours?
Or the production with a work of art?

Adjust
What would happen if we changed the order
of preparation?

Modify
What if you change the main element?

Put to other uses

What is the function of each element of the product?
Are you sure?

Eliminate
Are all the elements essential?
What about removing the colours?

Reverse
What would happen if we turned it over?

Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 9
 03
Random Cari
bb
Jellybea
words Turquoise
n
Storm

Ca
s
n

Sea
Ci r c u
v
Car
a Rho
st
s
mbu
Subma re
Wild

Fo
s e rine
H ou r k
Farm u n ta i n we r Pa
Mo Flo Mode

rth
Garden
INNOVATE y s
C i n e

Bre o l i d a
e a H
Sky

g e l u k fas
n B t
ou t S c i e n c e A u t u m
e e
Str
ll
Mi

K W
Boat

t it ine
ars

Creative Cooking Cards

u r e
Cacao Barry® LAB

se
bea
Are you familiar with the saying "Thinking outside the box"? This How it works is simple;

n
concept emerged with the lateral thinking technique, a theory
developed by the psychologist and writer Edward de Bono in
1940, which states that in order to generate innovative ideas, it
is important to take a step back, abandon logical thinking and
approach the creative process using imaginative,
1 
We set our creative goal and select a word
at random.

unconventional strategies.

The Random Words technique fits with this theory and allows us
to approach the creative process from different angles.
2 
We can use a dictionary or online random word
generator to get words that will surely have nothing
to do with the objective.

3 
We then identify the attributes of the word obtained
and try to apply them to the work objective.

Objective
4 
The attributes can be colours, emotions,

us
Chocolate shapes, stories, memories... anything that the word
inspires in us.
cake

Words The implementation of elements out of context, such as the

Farm attributes of random words, gives rise to original relationships

er
that would never normally have arisen.
Cinema
Orchard Although it takes practice to associate concepts fluently, the
Circus effort is worth it because the results are amazing in terms of

em a ... taking us out of our comfort zone and exploring new possibilities
we wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

Attributes

Tractor
Watering can The implementation
Vegetables
Soil
of elements out
Tools of context gives rise to
original relationships
...

mn Result
Vegetable
that would never have
cake arisen.
Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 11
Deciphering creativity

Creativity is a skill
The LAB is the Cacao Barry® creative department dedicated
to patisserie research and innovation. Its main objective is to

that requires
explore and share new techniques, products and trends through
various inspiring projects.

discipline
Through its own creative approach, the LAB generates
knowledge that is ultimately to be shared in order to inspire and

and training
elevate the creativity of chefs around the world.

In 2018, with the aim of optimising, ordering, systematising

processes and exploring new creative avenues, the creative team
of Cacao Barry® LAB began a collaboration with Ana Doñoro, an
expert in creative techniques and models in gastronomy.
The project was structured in three phases:

It began with an exhaustive study of creativity, techniques and

creative models. In this phase, we learned about the creative
process of the most brilliant minds in different disciplines and in
gastronomy.

The theory was then put into practice with the help of the team
from the Chocolate Academy® in Barcelona, who participated
in several creative dynamics to help us understand the creation
process of the chefs.

The project finished with the creation of Creative

Cooking Cards, a creative tool that meets the specific
needs of chefs and supports them in the creation process.
The details and conclusions of the study are explained below.

Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB

Creative dynamics
During the project, we organised several creative dynamics with
the aim of studying the creation models of the chefs and their
creative needs. The Chocolate Academy Barcelona team
® inspiration elsewhere, in books, on trips, in images... They then
volunteered as guinea pigs to participate in these sessions that
were essential for creation of the Creative Cooking Cards.
Guided by Ana Doñoro, who acted as a facilitator during the
sessions, the team set to work creating innovative recipes by
implementing various
creative techniques in order to analyse their effectiveness.
The chef's creative
process takes
ingredients, techniques,
presentation
and concept into
account.
In these dynamics, besides generating hundreds of ideas, we
learned that the chefs' creative process begins with seeking
apply the technical knowledge they have acquired over the years
to shape these ideas, and finally they develop and perfect them
in the kitchen through a process of trial and error. We observe
that, during the creation process, chefs take into account these
four elements: concept, ingredients, techniques and aesthetics.
From our point of view, each of these elements is an opportunity
to innovate, which is why all of them were taken into account in
the creation of the Creative Cooking Cards.
Chefs draw inspiration
from outside the
kitchen, from travel,
books or images.
Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 13
Creative
Cooking
Cards
by Ana Doñoro

Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB


Based on the results of the study, we developed a creative tool
to facilitate the process of devising innovative recipes. Creative
Cooking Cards combine a wide variety of creative techniques
with culinary concepts to promote lateral thinking and generate
original ideas. The philosophy of this tool is that anyone can be
creative.
Besides helping to generate ideas, the cards are used for training,
since, as we said before, creative people are made with practice
and experience.
With the aim of recreating a creative dynamic based on the
needs of chefs, Creative Cooking Cards presents different cards
that take into account the concept, ingredients, techniques and
aesthetics of the recipe and guide us through the three stages of
the creative process: activation, creation and evaluation.
Activation
The first cards in the activation phase include little riddles or
lateral thinking puzzles that will get your brain working. Take one
of these cards before you start and see what you can do.
Creation
Before starting the creation phase, it is important to establish
an objective. What do I want to create? Don't narrow it down
too much, keep an open objective. We'll have time to set limits
in the evaluation phase. Start drawing cards one at a time and
apply their techniques to your objective. The cards have been
created both to generate ideas from scratch and to modify
existing ideas.
Preliminary ideas are never good ideas, but they serve as
a basis, so it is important to build on them and develop them.
Evaluation
Finally, the ideas must be evaluated. Evaluation cards
ask questions about the feasibility, desirability and originality
of your idea.
The cards can be used individually or in teams. We recommend
using them in teams as the results have been shown to be better.
To guide these sessions, an expert creativity facilitator
is essential to make the most of the process.
Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 15
Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB
Creativity
builds the
world
around us.

Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 17
References
Referenced authors
Bono, E. d. (1970). Lateral thinking.
Bono, E. d. (2007). 62 exercises to develop the mind.
Bono, E. d. (2007). How to have creative ideas.
Bono, E. d. (2016). Creative thinking.
Osborn, A. F. (1953). Applied Imagination.
Creativity definition
University, C. (s.f.). Cambridge dictionary. Obtained from
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/creativity
Photographs
Ivan Raga: Pages 12, 14, 15, 18.
Unsplash.com: Pages 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20.
Creative Cooking Cards Cacao Barry® LAB
Ana Doñoro
Born in Madrid, Ana always wanted to be an inventor since she
was a child. This desire materialised over the years as her passion
for gastronomy grew, providing her with the opportunities she
needed to create.
At the age of 18, she began her studies in gastronomy at the
prestigious Basque Culinary Center, where she specialised in
avant-garde cuisine and patisserie. In the following years, she
worked in several patisseries, bakeries and chocolate shops in
Madrid, Barcelona and Brussels. During this time, she continued
to acquire knowledge and train as a chef.
Based on her experience and knowledge, Ana understood the
potential of gastronomy and the impact it has on society on a
global scale. In 2019, she moved to Sweden to do a Master's
Degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Lund University
School of Economics and Management with the aim of making
gastronomy a driver for change and improvement.
Currently based in Sweden, Ana works as a consultant in
gastronomic innovation and product development. In addition,
she is involved in the creation of start-ups in the food industry.
#unboxcreativity

Ana Doñoro
Expert in creative techniques and models 19