He was born in Hospitalet de Llobregat in Barcelona in 1962. He dropped out of school and washed dishes in a small hotel in Castelldefels, where the chef, Miquel Moy, started teaching him the principles of classic cuisine. In 1984, he went to work in El Bulli, first as a line cook, and then as head chef together with Christian Lutaud. After 1986, he was the sole head chef. In 1990 he and the restaurant manager, Juli Soler, became partners and began to plan their vision of the future for El Bulli. His cooking (known a ‘molecular cuisine’) is based on modern techniques for preparing food (such as liquid nitrogen) and an innovative combination of tastes and textures. He has been awarded three Michelin stars, and his establishment has been named 'world's best restaurant' on several occasions by the the Restaurant Magazine (2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008). In 2010 he announced the closure of El Bulli during 2012 and 2013.
Awards
National Award from the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy (1992)
Grand Prix de l'Art de la Cuisine from the International Gastronomy Academy (1994)
Medal for Tourist Merit (2002)
Eckart Witzigmann Award from the German Culinary Academy (2005)
Diálogo a la Amistad Hispano-Francesa Award (2006)
International Award from the 'Best of Gastronomy' congress (2007).
Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts (2007)
Don Quixote International Award for Gastronomy (2008)
Augie Award from the USA Culinary Institute (2009)
Highlighted works
- El sabor del Mediterráneo
- Las 50 nuevas tapas
- Cocinar en 10 minutos
- El Bulli, 1983-2002
- Comer para pensar. Pensar para comer
