If you follow Ferran Adrià, arguably Spain’s most famous and controversial chef, it will not be entirely surprising that he has decided to permanently shut down his world-famous restaurant El Bulli to build a culinary school in its place. The announcement comes after an initial decision to shut down for two years, the move is now said to be permanent.  For a restaurant so sought after that it claims to take 2,000,000 reservation requests per year for only 8,000 spots, and a team so ambitious that half the year is spent in research and learning, it is obvious that 3 Michelin stars and unrivaled fame is simply not enough. And indeed, there are now revelations that El Bulli has been losing half a million euros a year.  If you are like me and have long dreamed of dining at El Bulli, this news will no doubt come as a great disappointment.  One simply has to trust that Ferran still has a long way to go and with some luck one might be able to sample his cuisine otherwise. Failing that, I can always snuggle up with my copy of the 500+ page book, “A Day at el Bulli,” which chronicles the incredible efforts that went into El Bulli’s reign.

Via NYT

Photo credit: Peter Foley