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

This book follows thirty-five young men and women as they struggle to master the cutting-edge techniques, grueling hours, furious creativity, and interpersonal tensions that come with working at this celebrated institution. The author's lively narrative captures a great cast, including a young Korean cook who camps on the doorstep of elBulli until he is allowed to work in the kitchen; an ambitious chef from one of Switzerland's top restaurants struggling to create his own artistic vision of cuisine; and an American couple whose relationship may not withstand the unique pressures of the restaurant. What emerges is an irresistible tale of aspiring young talents caught, for good or ill, in the opportunity of a lifetime. WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES AT ELBULLI? Elected best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine an unprecedented five times, elBulli is where chef Ferran Adris remarkable cuisine comes to lifewith dragon cocktails that make the drinker breathe smoke and caviar made from tiny spheres of olive oil. elBulli is also the object of culinary pilgrimagemillions clamor every year for a reservation at one of its tables. Yet few people know that, behind each of the thirtyor more courses that make up a meal at elBulli, a small army of stagiairesapprentice chefslabor at the precise, exhausting work of executing Adris astonishing vision. In The Sorcerers Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adris elBulli, Lisa Abend explores the remarkable system that Adri uses to run his restaurant and, in the process, train the next generation of culinary stars. Granted more access to Adri and the elBulli kitchen than any other writer in the restaurants history, Abend follows thirty-five young men and women as they struggle to master the cutting-edge techniques, grueling hours, furious creativity, and interpersonal tensions that come with working at this celebrated institution. Her lively narrative captures a great cast, including a young Korean cook who camps on the doorstep of elBulli until he is allowed to work in the kitchen; an ambitious chef from one of Switzerlands top restaurants struggling to create his own artistic vision of cuisine; and an American couple whose relationship may not withstand the unique pressures of the restaurant. What emerges is an irresistible tale of aspiring young talents caught, for good or ill, in the opportunity of a lifetime.Taken together, their stories form a portrait of the international team that helps make a meal at elBulli so memorable. They also reveal a Ferran Adri few ever see, one who is not only a genius chef and artist but also a boss, teacher, taskmaster, businessman, and sometimes- flawed human being. Today, food has become the focus of unprecedented attention, and The Sorcerers Apprentices also explores the strange evolutionin less than two decadesof a once-maligned profession into a source of celebrity. It Is, Arguably, The Most Famous Restaurant In The World And Perhaps One Of The Most Significant And Influential Ever: The Legendary 'el Bulli' In Catalonia Has Attained A Near-mythic Reputation For Culinary Wizardry. But What Actually Goes On Behind The Scenes? What Is The Daily Reality Of Life In The World's Greatest Kitchen? The Sorcerer's Apprentices Tells First-hand The Story Of A Young Chef Enrolled In The Restaurant's Legendary Training Course. It Shows Her Struggle To Adapt To The Culture Shock Of El Bulli, How She And The Other Apprentices Learn To Push Themselves And The Limits Of Their Culinary Abilities, How They Adjust To A Style Of Cooking That Is Creative In The Extreme And How They Deal With The Pressures Of Performing At The Highest Level Night After Night. In Past Years Stagiers Have Clashed With The Rather Severe Demeanor Of Oriol Castro, The Restaurant's Chef De Cuisine; Others Have Gone On To Work Permanently At The Restaurant. One, Inevitably, Is Sent Home Each Year, Unable To Fit Into The High-wire Act That Is The El Bulli Kitchen. Complicating Things Even More, The Stagiers Live Together In Shared Apartments, So The Events And Emotions Of Their Personal Lives Bleed More Than Usually Into The Professional. The Sorcerer's Apprentices Tells These Smaller, More Human Stories As Well. At Its Heart, The Sorcerer's Apprentices Is A Quest: It Tells The Tale Of A Handful Of Aspiring Young Men And Women Who Submit Themselves To A Grueling Challenge In Order To Be Made Better By It. It Also Offers An Unprecedented, Behind-the-scenes Look At The Most Famous Restaurant In The World Through The Lens Of Those Who, Ultimately, Make It Work. Kitchen Confidential meets Heat in the first behind-the-scenes portrait of the world's most influential restaurant and the aspiring culinary geniuses who toiled to make it so exceptional. WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES AT ELBULLI? Elected best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine an unprecedented five times, elBulli is where chef Ferran Adrià's remarkable cuisine comes to life—with dragon cocktails that make the drinker breathe smoke and caviar made from tiny spheres of olive oil. elBulli is also the object of culinary pilgrimage—millions clamor every year for a reservation at one of its tables. Yet few people know that, behind each of the thirty or more courses that make up a meal at elBulli, a small army of stagiaires—apprentice chefs—labor at the precise, exhausting work of executing Adrià's astonishing vision. In The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli, Lisa Abend explores the remarkable system that Adrià uses to run his restaurant and, in the process, train the next generation of culinary stars. Today, food has become the focus of unprecedented attention, and The Sorcerer's Apprentices explores the strange evolution—in less than two decades—of a once-maligned profession into a source of celebrity. "Kitchen Confidential" meets "Heat" in the first behind-the-scenes portrait of the world's best restaurant and the aspiring chefs who toil to make it so exceptional. Elected best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine an unprecedented five times, El Bulli is the laboratory of Ferran Adria, the maverick creator of molecular gastronomy. Behind each of the thirty or more courses that make up a meal at El Bulli is a small army of young cooks who do the work of executing Adria's vision in exchange for nothing more than the chance to learn at his hands. Granted unprecedented access to this guild system, Lisa Abend follows the thirty-five stagiaries of the 2009 season as they struggle to master the grueling hours, cutting-edge techniques, and interpersonal tensions that come with working at the most revered restaurant on earth. " ... At its heart, The sorcerer's apprentices is a quest: it tells the tale of a handful of aspiring young men and women who submit themselves to a grueling challenge in order to be made better by it. It also offers and unprecedented, behind-the scenes look at the most famous restaurant in the world through the lens of those who, ultimately, make it work. ..."--Back cover