Adria Pressured to Shrink elBulli Footprint
The experimental chef faces opposition on plans to expand his famous gastronomic establishment.
The famous experimental chef Ferran Adria was forced to walk back his expansion plans forĀ elBulli, now a foundation, by 300 percent due to pressure from locals and environmentalists. Adria is no stranger to controversy given his wildly inventive approaches to cuisine; critics have highlightedĀ possible health-risks due to concerns about the additives involved. Although Adria closed down his restaurant located at Spain’s Cala Montjoi in 2011, the chef was planning to turn it into a larger ‘creativity center’.
The āmolecular gastronomistā has since changed his plans to a 20 percent expansion, reported the French publication The Independent. One of the main issues at elBulli was a lack of space, with the restaurant fully booked for most of its run but unable to cover its costs. Adria, inventor of more than a thousand completely unique dishes, had planned to open an exploratory and creative R&D center for gastronomy as a part of his ideal that, rather than eating food, one must āeat knowledgeā.Ā The public, however, could not understand why such consumptionĀ needed to happen onĀ a public reserve.
The Cap de Creus Natural Park boasts of being a biological paradise, full of various species along with beautiful cliffs and coves. A petition on Change.org accumulated more than 100,000 signatures beseeching the government to step in the way of Adriaās development plans. People were also against the idea that the region was to be turned into a tourist-trap through Adriaās restaurant at the cost of the parkās protection.
The new elBulli space was scheduled to open in March but due to these developments, the future of the establishmentĀ remains uncertain. For now, though, it looks like the forests and coves will remain. To be clear though, opposition to Adria’s plans had nothing to do with his style of cuisine. It appears to have been based solely on concerns about the environmental impact