Lisa Abend - The Sorcerers Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adriàs elBulli

WHAT WENT ON BEHIND THE SCENES AT ELBULLI?

When elBulli closed its doors in 2011, it marked the passing of an institution whose patrons were drawn like pilgrims from around the world to its location in northeastern Spain. Elected best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine an unprecedented five times, elBulli wasand will again be when it reopens as a culinary think tank in 2014the laboratory of Ferran Adri, the maverick creator of molecular gastronomy. The Sorcerers Apprentices reveals for the first time the remarkable system of apprenticeship that Adri used to run his restaurant and, in the process, train the next generation of culinary stars. Granted unprecedented access, Lisa Abend followed the stagiaires of the 2009 season as they struggled to master the grueling hours, cutting-edge techniques, and interpersonal tensions that came with working at the most revered restaurant on earth. What emerges is an irresistible tale of aspiring young talents caught, for good or ill, in the opportunity of a lifetime: creating the ultimate dining experience.

A last glimpse inside the culinary magic.
Entertainment Weekly

Countless descriptions of an undeniably dazzling creative process and of foods that, even on paper, have the power to delight and amuse. A rare chance for gourmet enthusiasts to witness the creative process behind some of the worlds most innovative cuisine.
Kirkus Reviews

LISA ABEND is a journalist based in Madrid. Since 2005, she has been Time magazines correspondent in Spain. She also contributes to a number of newspapers and magazines, including The Atlantic, The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Nation, Saveur, Wired, and Slate . In a previous life (that is, about six years ago) she was a professor of Spanish history at Oberlin College.

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COVER DESIGN BY R. GILL COVER PHOTOGRAPHS: (TOP) FRANCESC

GUILLAMET; (BOTTOM & SPINE) CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

AUTHOR PHOTO CSAR LUCAS ABREU

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Praise for The Sorcerers Apprentices

Abend ably describes the creative process of culinary genius and that pressure cooker of an environment, on a par with Heat by Bill Buford. Each paragraph is as captivating as one of Adris little culinary gemsa mesmerizing and highly entertaining read.

The Austin Chronicle

Abend draws a portrait of a disciplined and exacting place, free from the chaotic, abusive excesses made famous by Anthony Bourdain, yet intense in its own right.

NPR

Countless descriptions of an undeniably dazzling creative process and of foods that, even on paper, have the power to delight and amuse. A slow-motion gastronomical feast and a rare chance for gourmet enthusiasts to witness the creative process behind some of the worlds most innovative cuisine.

Kirkus Reviews

An intimate glimpse of life as a stagiaire... Another dimension to the culinary legend that is elBulli.

Publishers Weekly

Reads like a suspense novel at times.... The reader is able to relate to the characters, their dreams, trials, and tribulations like those of an engrossing fictional tale.

Whippedtheblog.com

Not only is one given a great understanding of what elBulli is all about; we can also clearly see the impact that the restaurant and its food has on aspiring chefs. Abend is successful in conveying the intense pressure felt by the young stagiaires, while providing insight into Ferran Adris commanding but beneficent rule over his well-oiled machine of a kitchen.

Seriouseats.com

Captivating.... Abends storytelling is a breeze to read and the book is hard to put down.

Cookingforengineers.com

Abends book will astound you and make you feel as though you are actually an insider of the worlds greatest kitchen. You should definitely read this one! I cannot recommend it enough.

KitchenConundrum.com

No chef, or restaurant, has had a greater impact on modern cooking and eating than Ferran Adri and his elBulli. Until now, though, the inner life of the restaurant seemed as closed and mysterious as Willy Wonkas factory. Now, Lisa Abend opens all the doors, peeks in all the pots, talks to all the Oompa-Loompas, and generally gives us a unique, insiders vision of an amazing place. In the history of writing about restaurants, there have been few books displaying more sensitivity, insight, sympathy, and wisdom about the strange lifehalf pure art, half pure lackeyof the modern cook.

Adam Gopnik, author of Paris to the Moon

An illuminating new look at the most influential chef of our time through the kaleidoscopic lens of his thirty-five stagiaires. Its a fascinating glimpse into a culinary rite of passage, and the incomparable genius behind it.

Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill Farm

Part Dal, part Einstein, part modern-day Escoffier, superchef Ferran Adri of elBulli is one of the greatest creative minds of our time. Lisa Abends formidable reportage, astute cultural observations, and keen eye for detail have produced a fascinating chronicle of the life-changing adventure undertaken by elBullis lucky band of kitchen apprentices.

Anya von Bremzen, author of The New Spanish Table

Lisa Abends new book reads like a Harry Potteresque version of a cooks story and gives readers the chance to enter the hidden world of cooks.

Jos Andrs, chef of Caf Atlntico and The Bazaar, and star of the PBS show Made in Spain

A fascinating, well-reported, and dramatic account of life behind the lines at the worlds most renowned restaurant, elBulli [and] a full, clear picture of Ferran Adri.... This is a worthy addition to the literature of the professional kitchen and a pleasure to read.

Michael Ruhlman, author of Ratio and The Making of a Chef

An insightful depiction not only of the most talked about restaurant in the world but also of Ferran Adri and a squad of young cooks who have come to him in their quest for culinary knowledge.

Andrew Friedman, author of Knives at Dawn

To my mother, who taught me to cook, and my father, who taught me to eat.