The future of El Bulli

MANILA, Philippines - Ever since El Bulli closed its doors to the public two months ago, the world has been mourning the loss of one of the best restaurants in the world. It was bad enough that the wait list at the restaurant had lasted up to two years; the slim chance of dining there had now been reduced to zero.

Ferran had announced the conversion of his restaurant to the El Bulli Foundation, a non-profit culinary think tank to develop new cooking techniques and flavors. It is set to open in 2014. As a venue to create, the foundation will be granting 20 to 25 scholarships annually for chefs to spend a year working with El Bulli’s core staff. All their findings and creations will be shared publicly on the Internet. “One of the most important things for us at El Bulli is not the cuisine, but the spirit — excitement for what we do — understanding life. We’ve been doing this for many years and now we want to share.” Sharing it publicly will also allow the chefs to receive feedback and constantly improve their work.

The restaurant will not be destroyed, but a new building will be constructed around it, complete with audio-visual rooms and high-tech facilities. It will also be a museum to archive memorabilia, recipes and ideas. It is a completely different platform from his restaurant. “If we don’t take risks, we don’t move forward,” Ferran says. “Not everybody is ready to take risks.”

“I never said El Bulli was closing down. I said it would become the El Bulli Foundation.” He adds, “People who are lucky like me, it’s time to give something back, (and for me), it’s through a foundation.”

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For more information on the foundation, visit http://www.bullifoundation.org/.