Ferran Adrià, the influential chef who reshaped global gastronomy over 28 years presiding over the Catalan restaurant El Bulli, is now the subject of a new six-part television drama titled Gènesi, according to the Guardian. The series, which began screening on Catalan television with a worldwide release slated later in the year, recounts the story of El Bulli from the day Adrià arrived in 1983 as a kitchen hand with no background in haute cuisine.
How El Bulli Transformed Modern Gastronomy
Although the establishment could have charged any price for its 8,000 available seatings each season—which drew over a million requests—Adrià stated to the Guardian that the restaurant was never supposed to succeed as a business and never quite covered its costs. “Avant garde cuisine is true to itself or it doesn’t work,” Adrià told the publication. The restaurant ultimately closed under heavy debt in 2011.
During its run, the kitchen produced 1,846 original dishes, 70 of which are lovingly recreated in the television dramatisation. While cultural perceptions of El Bulli often focused on foams, liquid nitrogen, and molecular techniques, diners experienced a meal structured as an entertainment and a show, according to contemporary reviews. Jordi Artal, chef at the Michelin-starred Cinc Sentits in Barcelona, noted that Adrià and his team developed an entirely new vocabulary of techniques. “You could change a texture, temperature or form without losing the identity of the product,” Artal said.
Did you know? Before starting as a line chef at El Bulli, Ferran Adrià worked as a dishwasher in a hotel and cooked during his military service. Despite his lack of formal haute cuisine training, he stated he never experienced impostor syndrome.
From Kitchen Hand to Global Influence
Adrià quickly rose to become head chef after arriving in 1983. In 1995, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine, which described him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, marking a rare moment when a non-French chef reached global prominence. Business accelerated significantly in 1996 after Joël Robuchon, a prominent figure in French cuisine, publicly called Adrià “the best chef on the planet,” according to the Guardian.
Reflecting on the culinary landscape prior to El Bulli’s rise, Adrià maintained that his approach was never a rebellion against French cuisine, which then dominated the world. “I am who I am thanks to France, but that doesn’t mean French cuisine can’t be questioned,” Adrià told the Guardian. “If all we do is reproduce canonical recipes, we’re just robots.” Oriol Castro, an El Bulli alumnus who runs Barcelona’s Disfrutar—voted best restaurant in the world in 2024—noted that the restaurant fundamentally changed the industry by openly sharing its techniques and recipes with the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gènesi?
Gènesi is a six-part TV drama funded in part by the Catalan government that recounts the history of the restaurant El Bulli from Ferran Adrià’s arrival in 1983.
Why did El Bulli close?
El Bulli closed in 2011 because it was heavily in debt, operating as an avant-garde laboratory where menus did not cover the actual cost of production, according to Ferran Adrià.
Who runs Disfrutar?
Disfrutar in Barcelona is run by Oriol Castro and two fellow El Bulli alumni.
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