Ferran Adria has been called the world's greatest chef. He is certainly one of the most creative. Gourmet magazine referred to Adria as "the Salvador Dali of the kitchen". His restaurant, El Bulli, was named best restaurant in the world by the prestigious Restaurant magazine. Without a doubt, Ferran Adria will hold a prominent place in culinary history
Before the arrival of Adria, El Bulli was relatively unknown. Despite its remote location (El Bulli is located in the small town of Roses on the coast of Catalonia, about two hours north of Barcelona at the end of a narrow, winding mountain road.), it has 3 Michelin stars and is ranked the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine.
El Bulli was known as a traditional French restaurant. When Adria joined the staff, the restaurant's manager Juli Soler recommended he travel to find fresh ideas to use at El Bulli. Adria went to some of France's top restaurants where he acquired a massive collection of techniques from many of the great culinary masters.
In the late 1980's, Adria began performing cooking experiments which would forever change El Bulli's place in culinary history. Adria's experiments are often associated with Molecular Gastronomy, the application of science to culinary practices and cooking phenomena. His creations are designed to surprise and enchant his guests but the importance of taste is always the ultimate goal.
He is best known for creating "culinary foam", which is now used by chefs around the world. Culinary foam consists of natural flavors (sweet or savory) mixed with a natural gelling agent. The mixture is placed in a whipped cream canister where the foam is then forced out with the help of nitrous oxide.
In keeping with the creative goals of El Bulli, the restaurant closes for six month each year during which time Adria travels for inspiration and performs experiments and perfects recipes in his culinary lab, El Taller.
Adrià denounced his fellow 3-star Michelin cook who described his "molecular gastronomy" as pretentious. Traditionalist Santi Santamaria attacked Adrià's dishes in El Bulli as unhealthy, alleging "Adrià's dishes were designed to impress rather than satisfy and used chemicals that actually put diners' health at risk". Top chefs, however, accused Santamaria, who runs the 3-star Can Fabes near El Bulli, of envy and contempt of Spanish kitchens' honour. The criticism has split top Spanish chefs into pro- and anti-Adrià camps.
