“These are historic times for Catalonia”, says Chef Ferran Adrià

Roses (Gastroteca.cat).- Catalonia is experiencing an “historic momentum,” according to internationally renowned Catalan chef Ferran Adrià. The chef admits that the success of his three Michelin starred restaurant, El Bulli, and those of others chefs that followed, such as Joan Roca’s El Celler de Can Roca and Carme Ruscalleda’s Sant Pau, have defined Catalan cuisine as amongst the best in the world.

“In the tourism and the gastronomy sectors, we are a very powerful country,” says Adrià, who nonetheless keeps his feet on the ground.

“We are an icon of risky cuisine,” confesses the Catalan chef, who adds that Catalonia is in the vanguard of the food and drink sector. He thinks, however, that the country should not be complacent, and that chefs, citizens, businessmen and politicians “should continue to invest in order to keep Catalonia in the lead.”

Adrià argues that some years ago it would have been “unbelievable” to imagine that Catalonia would experience such tremendous momentum in the global gastronomic sphere. Adrià considers that there is a “fantastic generation” of chefs in the country who have helped the state to achieve its impressive status.

“And it is not only Ferran Adrià,” he says, citing the virtues of the Roca brothers and Carme Ruscalleda, amongst others.

The chef of El Bulli is committed to exporting Catalan cuisine abroad. But he thinks that the best way of doing so is by inviting young foreign chefs to Catalonia to show them how things work in Catalonia.

“It is very important that foreigners come here, learn everything about our gastronomic culture and apply the model in their countries,” Adrià argues.    

Adrià may be going to close his internationally renowned restaurant, El Bulli, on the 30^th of July 2011, but he is not leaving Catalan gastronomy behind. He will close the restaurant to open a research centre and to work for Catalan gastronomy from a different perspective.

“El Bulli is such a beautiful story that has to finish in a beautiful way,” he says. Adrià is very excited about the new path of his career, and confesses that, once he feels that he cannot not add anything further to the sector, he will retire. It seems that this will not happen any time soon.