More than just the most influential chef of the late- twentieth and early-twenty-first centuries, Ferran AdriĂ is arguably the greatest culinary revolutionary of our time. Hailed as a genius and a prophet by fellow chefs, worshipped (if often misunderstood) by critics and lay diners alike, AdriĂ is imitated and paid homage to in professional kitchens, and in more than a few private ones, all over the world. A reservation at his restaurant, El Bulli, is so coveted that scoring a table is harder than nabbing fifty-yard-line tickets for the Super Bowl.
In his lively, and unprecedented, close-up portrait of AdriĂ , award-winning food writer Colman Andrews traces this groundbreaking chefâs rise from resort hotel dishwasher to culinary deity, and the evolution of El Bulli from a German-owned beach bar into the establishment voted annually by an international jury to be âthe worldâs best restaurant.â Taking the listener from AdriĂ âs Franco-era childhood near Barcelona through El Bulliâs wildly creative âdisco-beachâ days and into the modern-day wonderland of AdriĂ âs restaurant kitchen and the workshop/laboratory where his innovations are born and refined, Andrews blends sweeping storytelling with culinary history to explore AdriĂ âs extraordinary contributions to the way we eat. Through original techniques like deconstruction, spherification, and the creation of culinary foams and airs, AdriĂ has profoundly reimagined the basic characteristics of foodâs forms, while celebrating and intensifying the natural flavors of his raw materials. Yet, argues Andrews, these innovations may not be his most impressive achievements. Instead, AdriĂ âs sheer creativity and courageous imagination are his true geniusâa genius that transcends the chefâs mĂŠtier and can inspire and enlighten all of us.
Early in 2010, Ferran stunned the food world by announcing that he plans to close El Bulli at the end of the 2011 season for a two-year hiatus. Chefs, critics, and food-lovers everywhere are asking what that means for this legendary chef and his groundbreaking restaurant. Andrews reveals the inside story, from Ferran himself.
Entertaining and intimate, Ferran brings to life the most exciting food movement of our time and illuminates the ways in which AdriĂ has changed our worldâforever altering our understanding of and appreciation for food and cooking.