Modernist-Cuisine-Vol.-1-Small

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B IOG R APHY O F
Joan Roca
case can be made for that choice. But using the
word “experimental” tends to devalue the explicit
use of aesthetic theory in the cuisine that Adrià
and others have developed.
The Cult of Novelty
One of the most interesting aspects of Modernist
cuisine is the way in which it expands the realm of
the possible. Noveltythe creation of new dishes
and techniquesis its heart and soul. Modernist
chefs pride themselves on breaking new ground
and being fiercely original; indeed, they become
famous for these achievements. Many of these
chefs will not serve any dish they did not invent or
develop (at least in part). They also bristle if other
people reproduce their dishes without acknowledgment
or credit.
This is a strange state of affairs compared to
other cuisines. No one who runs a steak house
claims that they have invented steak, or refuses to
serve a baked potato with it because the steakhouse
chef didn’t invent the baked potato. In
traditional cuisine, there is often an implicit
philosophy that separates the design of the food
(the recipes) from its execution (the actual dishes).
A steak house is perhaps the most extreme example:
the product, a steak, isn’t unique to the chef or
the restaurant, and therefore great steak houses
One of the leading figures in
modern Spanish cuisine, chef
Joan Roca is known for his
innovative take on traditional
Catalan fare. Roca was
steeped in that style of cooking
from an early age, spending
many hours in the kitchen
with his mother and grandmother
at his family’s Restaurant
de Can Roca in Girona,
Catalonia. In 1986, Roca and his two brothers, Josep and
Jordi, opened their own restaurant next door to their
parents’ place, with Joan running the kitchen, Josep as
sommelier, and Jordi as pastry chef.
At El Celler de Can Roca, today a three-Michelin-star
fetishize every aspect of the execution (selecting
the meat, dry-aging it, and so forth). Steak houses
may also have some recipe variationsperhaps for
their sauces or side dishesbut there is no
expectation that these recipes evolve over time.
Much the same occurs in other forms of traditional
cuisine. As we discussed above (see page
14), many Italian restaurants are proud of serving
dishes that are based on “authentic” recipes from a
particular region in Italy. Some of the most
traditional-minded chefs proudly claim that their
best recipes did not come from their own creativity
but were passed down from their grandmother
or somebody else’s grandmother. In this view, the
chef’s role in the design of a dish is reduced to that
of a curator: he chooses which of Grandma’s
recipes will most please his clientele and makes
the best use of seasonal ingredients.
Granted, most high-end traditional restaurants,
such as those in the Nouvelle or New International
style, focus on both design and execution. Customers
expect that the chef will have her own inventions
on the menu, and her reputation rides on both
execution and the uniqueness of the dishes. But
even in this case, there is little mandate that her
repertoire turn over quickly. As a result, a chef’s
signature dishlike Joël Robuchon’s mashed
potatoescan stay on the menu forever.
The intense focus on novelty in Modernist
establishment, Joan Roca soon began applying new techniques
and technologies to classic Catalan cuisine. His philosophy
is to use technology in the service of creativity to convey
emotions. Over the years, he has worked with sous vide,
vapor cooking, smoking, distilling, and various other techniques.
One of his most famous achievements was figuring
out a method for distilling soil from a nearby forest to create a
“dirt essence.” He made a clear jelly from the liquid and put it
on top of an oyster—a unique rendition of surf and turf.
Roca’s 2005 book, Sous Vide Cuisine, cowritten with Salvador
Brugués and published by Montagud Editores, was the
first major cooking text to describe how to use this technique.
The authors outlined a new system that would allow chefs to
cook sous vide dishes to order during a restaurant’s regular
service. Despite being hard to find in the U. S., the book
became a valuable resource for food professionals.
B IOG R APHY O F
José Carlos Capel and Rafael García Santos
Two of the most influential food critics in Spain are José
Carlos Capel, who writes for the daily El País, and Rafael
García Santos, food critic for the Basque newspaper El
Correo and founder of the annual La Guía Lo Mejor de la
Gastronomía (Spain’s answer to the Michelin Guide). Each of
these men has played a key role in the spread of Modernist
cuisine.
Capel has championed young avant-garde chefs in his
articles and has written or cowritten several cookbooks that
feature recipes from forward-thinking Spanish chefs, including
Ferran Adrià (see page 33), Joan Roca (see previous
page), Sergi Arola, Dani García, and others (see page 57).
cuisine is a complete break from that philosophy.
Designing new dishes is essential to a Modernist
chef’s livelihood. Execution is also important,
because without good execution, customers can’t
properly experience the dishes as they were
intended. But a Modernist restaurant that kept the
same dishes on the menu for years would be
strange indeed.
In 2002, Adrià published the first in a series of
books that gave a comprehensive view of his
cuisine. The books were meant to trace the
evolution of elBulli’s food over time, with explicit
dates for every dish and every new development.
These books helped cement a feeling that forward
momentum is a cornerstone of Modernist cuisine.
The first three elBulli books covered the years
1983 to 2002; these were followed by volumes
covering 2003, 2004, and 2005. The publication of
the follow-up books set another interesting
precedent: a chef publishing the secrets of his
cuisine rapidly, only a year or two after the dishes
were first served in a restaurant. This act underscored
the urgency of moving forward and set a
standard that other chefs could not ignore.
Adrià’s approach was not universally popular.
Some chefs complained in private that the pace of
his publishing made it difficult for them to keep
up. They were not keen to get on a treadmill of
continually changing dishes and of disclosing
their recipes so quickly.
In addition, Capel is the founder and president of Madrid
Fusión, an annual international conference for chefs and
food journalists that spotlights the work of culinary innovators
and stars of the Modernist movement.
Santos is the founder and director of Spain’s other prestigious
international gastronomic conference, Lo mejor de la
gastronomía, which also highlights Modernist cuisine and
has included workshops with Adrià, René Redzepi (see page
70), Quique Dacosta (see page 57), and many more. Santos
has also written extensively about Spanish Modernist chefs
in his annual guidebook (whose inaugural 1995 edition gave
top honors to elBulli) and in El Correo.
Another target of chefs’ ire was the growing
number of restaurants that copied Adrià’s food. As
one chef complained about a rival, “Why can’t he
create his own dishes? He just copies Ferran, but
the bulk of his clients think he is being creative on
his own.” Part of the reason that Adrià published
his recipes was so that people could use and learn
from them, but this inadvertently raised the bar
for those who wanted to cook creatively. Ultimately,
Adrià’s books have engendered a dynamic that
is very healthy for the field: a culture of rapid
invention and openness.
The Internet has also stoked the fires of Modernist
innovation. When a new dish goes on the
menu anywhere in the world, the chances are very
high that it will be the subject of postings on
eGullet.org, Chowhound.com, or Twitter, complete
with digital photos and detailed explanations.
Indeed, people can (and do) post to these
sites from their smart phones before they even get
their dinner check. Once posted, the information
then reverberates around the Internet on dozens,
hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of food-related
blogs.
Meanwhile, information about new techniques
or recipe ideas is discussed on the same broadbased
culinary websites or on more specialized
Modernist blogs like IdeasInFood.com,
khymos . org, CookingIssues.com, and a growing
list of others. With this instant connectivity, there
58 VOLUME 1 · HISTORY AND FUNDAMENTALS
HISTORY 59