The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli

295 Pages·2011·3.35 MB·English

by  Lisa Abend

WHAT WENT ON BEHIND THE
SCENES AT ELBULLI?
When elBulli closed its doors in 2011, it marked the passing of an institution
whose patrons were drawn like pilgrims from around the world to its location in
northeastern Spain. Elected best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine
an unprecedented five times, elBulli was—and will again be when it reopens as a
culinary think tank in 2014—the laboratory of Ferran Adrià, the maverick
creator of molecular gastronomy. The Sorcerer’s Apprentices reveals for the first
time the remarkable system of apprenticeship that Adrià used to run his
restaurant and, in the process, train the next generation of culinary stars.
Granted unprecedented access, Lisa Abend followed the stagiaires of the 2009
season as they struggled to master the grueling hours, cutting-edge techniques,
and interpersonal tensions that came with working at the most revered restaurant
on earth. What emerges is an irresistible tale of aspiring young talents caught,
for good or ill, in the opportunity of a lifetime: creating the ultimate dining
experience.
“A last glimpse inside the culinary magic.”
—Entertainment Weekly “Countless descriptions of an undeniably dazzling
creative process and of foods that, even on paper, have the power to delight and
amuse. A rare chance for gourmet enthusiasts to witness the creative process
behind some of the world’s most innovative cuisine.”
—Kirkus Reviews
LISA ABEND is a journalist based in Madrid. Since 2005, she has been Time
magazine’s correspondent in Spain. She also contributes to a number of
newspapers and magazines, including The Atlantic, The New York Times, Food &
Wine, The Nation, Saveur, Wired, and Slate. In a previous life (that is, about six
years ago) she was a professor of Spanish history at Oberlin College.

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AUTHOR PHOTO © CÉSAR LUCAS ABREU
Praise for The Sorcerer’s Apprentices
“Abend ably describes the creative process of culinary genius and that pressure
cooker of an environment, on a par with Heat by Bill Buford. Each paragraph is
as captivating as one of Adrià’s little culinary gems—a mesmerizing and highly
entertaining read.”
—The Austin Chronicle
“Abend draws a portrait of a disciplined and exacting place, free from the
chaotic, abusive excesses made famous by Anthony Bourdain, yet intense in its
own right.”
—NPR
“Countless descriptions of an undeniably dazzling creative process and of foods
that, even on paper, have the power to delight and amuse. A slow-motion
gastronomical feast and a rare chance for gourmet enthusiasts to witness the
creative process behind some of the world’s most innovative cuisine.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“An intimate glimpse of life as a stagiaire . . . Another dimension to the culinary
legend that is elBulli.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Reads like a suspense novel at times. . . . The reader is able to relate to the
characters, their dreams, trials, and tribulations like those of an engrossing
fictional tale.”
—Whippedtheblog.com
“Not only is one given a great understanding of what elBulli is all about; we can
also clearly see the impact that the restaurant and its food has on aspiring chefs.
Abend is successful in conveying the intense pressure felt by the young stagiaires,
while providing insight into Ferran Adrià’s commanding but beneficent rule over
his well-oiled machine of a kitchen.”
—Seriouseats.com
“Captivating. . . . Abend’s storytelling is a breeze to read and the book is hard to
put down.”
—Cookingforengineers.com
“Abend’s book will astound you and make you feel as though you are actually an
insider of the world’s greatest kitchen. You should definitely read this one! I
cannot recommend it enough.”
—KitchenConundrum.com
“No chef, or restaurant, has had a greater impact on modern cooking and eating
than Ferran Adrià and his elBulli. Until now, though, the inner life of the
restaurant seemed as closed and mysterious as Willy Wonka’s factory. Now, Lisa
Abend opens all the doors, peeks in all the pots, talks to all the Oompa-
Loompas, and generally gives us a unique, insider’s vision of an amazing place.
In the history of writing about restaurants, there have been few books displaying
more sensitivity, insight, sympathy, and wisdom about the strange life—half
pure art, half pure lackey—of the modern cook.”
—Adam Gopnik, author of Paris to the Moon
“An illuminating new look at the most influential chef of our time through the
kaleidoscopic lens of his thirty-five stagiaires. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a
culinary rite of passage, and the incomparable genius behind it.”
—Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill Farm
“Part Dalí, part Einstein, part modern-day Escoffier, superchef Ferran Adrià of
elBulli is one of the greatest creative minds of our time. Lisa Abend’s formidable
reportage, astute cultural observations, and keen eye for detail have produced a
fascinating chronicle of the life-changing adventure undertaken by elBulli’s lucky
band of kitchen apprentices.”
—Anya von Bremzen, author of The New Spanish Table
“Lisa Abend’s new book reads like a Harry Potteresque version of a cook’s story
and gives readers the chance to enter the hidden world of cooks.”
—José Andrés, chef of Café Atlántico and The Bazaar, and star of the PBS
show Made in Spain
“A fascinating, well-reported, and dramatic account of life behind the lines at the
world’s most renowned restaurant, elBulli [and] a full, clear picture of Ferran
Adrià. . . . This is a worthy addition to the literature of the professional kitchen
and a pleasure to read.”
—Michael Ruhlman, author of Ratio and The Making of a Chef
“An insightful depiction not only of the most talked about restaurant in the
world but also of Ferran Adrià and a squad of young cooks who have come to
him in their quest for culinary knowledge.”
—Andrew Friedman, author of Knives at Dawn

To my mother, who taught me to cook, and my father, who taught me to eat.
Free Press
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Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Abend
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or
portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address
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the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Free Press trade paperback edition February 2012
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Book design by Ellen R. Sasahara
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Abend, Lisa.
The sorcerer’s apprentices :
a season in the kitchen at Ferran Adrià’s elBulli /
Lisa Abend.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Cooks—Training of—Spain. 2. Adrià, Ferran. 3. elBulli
(Restaurant) I. Title.
TX649.A1A24 2011
641.5092—dc22
2010036721
ISBN 978-1-4391-7555-2
ISBN 978-1-4516-2662-9 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-45161174-8 (ebook)
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