He began his career as a dishwasher, did military service in the kitchen and wound up as an apprentice at El Bulli, which is Catalan for small bulldog. Adria's approach to culinary lore is dogged as well. "I read everything I could. I became my own university."
Welcome to the Labyrinth of the Catalan Chef
By JUDY FAYARD

From the first sip of the proffered aperitif at El Bulli — a frozen gin with hot lemon fizz — you know you're in for something different. Ferran Adria has won the adulation of food critics and cooks by whipping up startling combinations of texture, temperature and taste: bite-size cuttlefish ravioli that explode in a burst of coconut and ginger, soft-boiled quail egg with a crispy caramel crust, a polenta of frozen powdered Parmesan cheese, almond ice cream on a swirl of garlic oil and balsamic vinegar.

Set on an isolated beach on Spain's Catalan coast near the town of Rosas, El Bulli has become a pilgrimage site for foodies brave enough to make the dizzying drive down for the experience — not really a conventional meal but a series of 25 to 30 small courses, some no more than a bite-size morsel or slurp. They are presented on a silver spoon or on a stick or in a tiny fluted glass, often with suggestions about how things should be eaten — in one go, in separate bites or in a certain order.

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Name: Ferran Adria
Why critics are taking note: El Bulli has become a pilgrimage site for foodies the world over, who brave a dizzying drive for the experience.
El Bulli

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About the Series

PHOTOS: Ferran Adria by LAURENT MONLAU‹RAPHO FOR TIME,
Kathleen Finch by JONATHAN SAUNDERS FOR TIME,
Claudia Fleming by CATRINA GENOVESE FOR TIME,
Michael Jacobson by MANUELLO PAGANELLI FOR TIME,
Pat Kuleto by WILLIAM MERCER MCLEOD FOR TIME,
Sheri Schellhaass by DOUG KNUTSON FOR TIME
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