Reinvention not dead says Adria

Ferran Adrià said he was convinced that new techniques and concepts will continue to be conceived in restaurant kitchens, despite the problems presented by the global credit crunch.

The man behind elBulli, the Spanish restaurant which continues to top global lists as the world’s best, declared reinvention was not dead to the delegation at gastronomic congress Madrid Fusion.

“Something we keep talking about is that there are still new things to do,” he announced. “Many chefs attend different conferences and of course some congresses can be repetitive, but I believe there is still room for many people to create.”

Comparing the idea of constant reinvention to new audiences with that of a rock band playing gigs to different audiences during a tour, Adrià noted: “Rock band sing the same song, but the audience is always different.”

Having continuously reinvent the menu at his world-famous restaurant for the last 26 years, Adrià appeared bullish in stating that nothing would stop him coming up with new and innovative ways to present, cook and source dishes, regardless of economic factors.

“Sometimes you need a new machine to execute a new technique or idea; if NASA were to invent a new machine I would buy it,” he joked.

During his performance, Adrià suggested that demonstration-led conferences, such as Madrid Fusion, could take on a new structure in future by focusing on videos of demonstrations rather than on chefs performing live.

Following a 15 minute video which detailed a third of elBulli’s new menu, Adrià received the loudest applause of the day from congress delegates.

“I think using videos at congresses could be a good way of showing the whole menu to the audience,” he said.