Ferran Adrià

Ferran Adrià i Acosta (Catalan pronunciation: [fəˈran əðɾiˈa]) (born Fernando Adriá Acosta) is a Spanish chef born on May 14, 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain). He was the head chef of the elBulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava and is considered one of the best chefs in the world.

Career

Ferran Adrià began his culinary career in 1980 during his stint as a dishwasher at the Hotel Playafels, in the town of Castelldefels. The chef de cuisine at this hotel taught him traditional Spanish cuisine. At 19 he was drafted into military service where he worked as a cook. In 1984, at the age of 22, Adrià joined the kitchen staff of elBulli as a line cook. Eighteen months later he became the head chef.

In 1994, Ferran Adrià and Juli Soler (his partner) sold 20% of their business to Miquel Horta (a Spanish millionaire and philanthropist and son of the founder of Nenuco) for 120 million pesetas. This event became a turning point for elBulli, the money was used to finance an expansion of the kitchen and the relationship with Horta opened the door to new clients, businessmen, and politicians who helped spread the word about the creative experimentation happening at the time in Cala Montjoi.