El Bulli director Juli Soler dies at 66

Barcelona (ACN) — Partner and director of El Bulli restaurant for over 30 years, Juli Soler, died Monday morning, Ferran Adrià confirmed with ACN. He was 66. Soler suffered from a neurodegenerative disease for over two years that forced him to abandon the BulliFoundation project to focus on his recovery. Doctors diagnosed the disease in October 2012. Soler was the person who hired the chef Ferran Adrià in the early '80s before El Bulli became the best restaurant in the world. Both always worked closely together and shared the executive direction of El BulliFoundation from its inception. 

The family and the BulliFoundation announced in mid-October 2012 through a statement that Soler was suffering from a neurodegenerative illness and that he would leave the project to focus on his recovery. At around 02:30 Monday morning, Soler died. 

Soler was born in May 1949 in Terrassa, where he began his career in the hospitality sector with the help of his father, who was the head waiter at a resort at the time. In 1962 he broke into this world, working at Gran Casino de Terrassa and at Chalet del Golf Puigcerdà the next year. At 14 years he worked at Reno restaurant in Barcelona and, shortly thereafter, he accompanied his family in the administration of a restaurant in Rubí, until his love for music led him to open two nightclubs and a record store, which shut its doors in the early '80s.

From then on, he began to direct what would become El Bulli, situated in Cala Montjoi, taking up an offer from the owners of the establishment. After a period of training by several restaurants, he launched El Bulli, in collaboration with Ferran Adrià. The two would bring the restaurant to its place as the best eatery in the world before closing its doors in 2011 and starting the BulliFoundation. 

BulliFoundation is an initiative with the aim of implementing a research centre on food trends, food culture and promoting training. Part of these facilities has to rise from the heart of the Cap de Creus Natural Park, which was also the site of what had been El Bulli restaurant.

Currently, the construction of the first phase has been stopped on Adrià’s request after opposition arose among ecological organisations. Meanwhile, on 5 March they started work on the first extension of the former restaurant, which according to the rules of the Cap de Creus Natural Park, is allowed.