Legendary elBulli restaurant to remain open

The 3,000 people on the Catalan restaurant’s waiting list may still have a chance to enjoy ‘molecular cooking’ by the master himself.

Legendary elBulli restaurant, the Catalan place of pilgrimage of all that is holy in so-called ‘molecular cooking’ will remain open after all. Last Friday, a The New York Times blogger reported the restaurant owned and run by chef Ferran Adrià would close its doors permanently. On Sunday however, Adrià announced the Times’ news was based on a misunderstanding that had arisen from an “understandable error in translation”.

Open or closed, for most people the difference is only technical. With 3,000 would-be diners permanently clogging up elBulli’s waiting list, most people have no chance of ever enjoying even a glimpse of the concoctions Adrià creates using jellies, foams, emulsions, mist, powders or warm and cold air alone. Inventions that have catapulted their creator to lonely heights in international cuisine.

The restaurant, situated in the town of Roses, just north of Barcelona, usually closes for a couple of months every year to allow its owner time in his laboratory, where he works on new culinary wizardry. It was recently announced it will now be closing its doors until 2012, because Adrià is looking for rest and new inspiration.

After 2014, Adrià hopes to change his restaurant into a foundation that will teach aspiring culinary talents and leave its chef with his hands free. Adrià could do with some spare time, considering the number of irons he has in the fire right now, ranging from product lines, to consultancy gigs to cooking workshops. All these activities compensate for the losses incurred by the restaurant. ElBulli generates about half a million euros less than its operating costs every year.

Diners will still be served at his restaurant, Adrià assured. “You cannot practice this trade without human feedback. It’s as simple as that,” he said in an interview with Spanish daily El País.