The Holy Spirit

Photos by: Herbert Lehmann / www.herbertlehmann.com
Ferran Adria, A man famous to few. Who among you know him well? Not many I guess. Did you know that he began his famed culinary career washing dishes at a French restaurant in Castelldefels, Spain? Here, he familiarized himself with basic cooking methods as he applied a variety of culinary techniques, building his gastronomic repertoire. As time passed by he joined the kitchen staff of El Bulli, and only 18 months later, he became head chef. El Bulli, situated on the coast of Catalonia on the outskirts of Barcelona, was known as a traditional French restaurant. He conducted lots of experiments; one of the most impressive and well accepted was his use of foams. This technique, consisting of aerating ingredients with a siphon, introduces minute bubbles, which alter the texture of food. His culinary approaches are intended to provoke, surprise and delight the diner.

His philosophy: he closes El Bulli for six months every year in order to travel abroad, in search of new inspiration and ideas. He is often called "the Salvador Dali of the kitchen," and has won global acclaim as one of the most creative and inventive culinary geniuses in the world. With those descriptions you will no longer wonder why he is my inspiration. When science becomes a big part of cooking, for me that's amazing. Now, I miss his famous TV show "Decoding Ferran Adria" most especially the episode where Anthony Bourdain visited El Bulli to witness the breakthrough in cooking history made by Ferran Adria.