Ferran Adrià was born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona). He had no contact with the world of hospitality until the age of 18. At that time, he began working in the kitchen of a small hotel in Castelldefels and took on his first culinary responsibilities during his military service. In August 1983, he did an internship at elBulli, and just a year later, he became head chef, a position he initially shared with Christian Lataud and held alone from 1987 onwards.

His career has always been closely linked to the restaurant in Cala Montjoi, where he has championed the most avant-garde creativity. elBulli holds three Michelin stars and has been voted the best restaurant in the world several times. Time magazine included Adrià in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and The Restaurant Magazine named him Chef of the Decade.

In addition, he has published numerous books about elBulli and cuisine, such as “Celebrar el milenio con Arzak y Adrià”, co-authored with Juan Mari Arzak, and “Comer para pensar. Pensar para comer”, published last year.

Adrià has elevated gastronomy to an art form and has based his culinary innovation on science and research. He is President of the Advisory Board of Alícia, the Food and Science Foundation, a research center dedicated to technological innovation in cooking and to the dissemination of agri-food and gastronomic heritage. In fact, this year, Harvard University, in collaboration with the Alícia Foundation and Ferran Adrià, signed an agreement for leading Spanish avant-garde chefs to teach courses at the American university.

Adrià has received numerous awards and honors, including:

• the National Gastronomy Award for Best Head Chef,

• the Grand Prix de l’Art de la Cuisine awarded by the International Academy of Gastronomy,

• the Cross of Saint George from the Government of Catalonia,

• the Gold Medal for Tourism Merit from the Government of Spain,

• the Gold Medal for European Merit,

• the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts,

• and the National Hospitality Award.

He has also been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Barcelona and the University of Aberdeen, in Scotland.