elBulli Foundation x Catalunya

It was one of the most spectacular nights under the starry skies of Singapore. Culinary legend Ferran Adria and Chris Au, owner of Catalunya, hosted an amazing dinner to announce the launch of elBulli foundation. The venue could not be more befitting because Catalunya is now "home" to several staff that were part of Ferran's original team at elBulli.

A real honour to meet the legendary Ferran Adria, the man who is regarded as one of the best chefs in the world. Not only is he humble and nice, he is also a visionary. I was completely blown away by  the grand plans he conceptualised for the elBulli foundation.

elBulli foundation is a private foundation backed by Ferran Adria and Juli Soler, and will see the creation of two principal arms.

elBulli, the restaurant itself will be transformed into a permanent exhibition space where visitors can discover its legacy and culinary evolution. It is expected to open to the public in early 2015.

Visitors will be able to take a chronological tour to learn about the history of elBulli.

Visit the legendary kitchen where the creative team once worked their magic during dinner service.

There will be an audiovisual room where visitors can watch short films about elBulli.

The pop-up restaurant will be a gastronomy draw for many. It was a pity that I did not managed to dine at the legendary elBulli restaurant before Chef Ferran closed it on 30th July 2011, but I might be able to savour his creations when elBulli reopens as an exhibition space.

 There will be an elBulli store where visitors can take home souvenirs.

Ever year, elBulli will recruit 30 chefs from around the world to be part of its creative team project.  Working with the main elBulli team, the project will focus on research and innovation. Using cooking as a language, the project will also involve a multi-discipline interaction platform involving design, science and architecture.

The results from the creative team project will be published daily online and will be made accessible to the public. elBulli will also host a dining experience once a month as part of its fund raising effort for the foundation.

The second arm of the elBulli foundation is Bullipedia, a creative archive that serves as an encyclopedia of history of cooking. Its main aim is to give creative stimulus to chefs and to inspire individuals all around the world. 

Chef Ferran's vision is to create a curated search engine for culinary education and inspiration. Using technology to create something for everyone to learn with precision and accumulate knowledge in culinary pursuits, be it professionally or as as a hobby.

Spain will definitely be on my travel plans come 2015. Mark your calendar too!

For more information, please visit www.elbullifoundation.org