Video: Cooking and Creativity

In a public lecture at Harvard in December, Ferran Adrià described the development of techniques in use at his restaurant, elBulli—and how he became a chef who takes chances.

This Web extra supplements "The Harvard Center for Gastrophysics?

Ferran Adrià is head chef at elBulli, the restaurant near Barcelona that Restaurant magazine has rated best in the world for three years running, and four times in all. He came to Harvard in December to give a public lecture—and to sign an agreement for an ongoing collaboration with Harvard scientists.

Video by Mark Felton

 

Watch this video for:

• images of culinary creations from the elBulli kitchen
• an excerpt from Professor Roberto Kolter’s introduction of Ferran Adrià—the would-be pro-soccer player turned chef
• Adrià’s discussion of how he creates melon “caviar”—spheres of liquefied melon inside a thin gelatinous shell 

 

(Translating for Adrià is professor of microbiology and molecular genetics Roberto Kolter; the woman at the left of the screen is Adrià's wife, Isabel Pérez.)

Related topics

You might also like

How AI Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Harvard Kennedy School lecturer on using AI to strengthen supply chains

This Astronomer is Sounding a Warning on ‘Space Junk’

As debris accumulates in low Earth orbit, the danger of destructive collisions continues to rise.

Understanding AI Vulnerabilities

As artificial intelligence capabilities evolve, so too will the tactics used to exploit them. 

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

Harvard Students, Alumna Named Rhodes and Marshall Scholars

Nine Rhodes and five Marshall scholars will study in the U.K. in 2026.

Explore More From Current Issue

A bald man in a black shirt with two book covers beside him, one titled "The Magicians" and the other "The Bright Sword."

Novelist Lev Grossman on Why Fantasy Isn’t About Escapism

The Magicians author discusses his influences, from Harvard to King Arthur to Tolkien.

Two bare-knuckle boxers fight in a ring, surrounded by onlookers in 19th-century attire.

England’s First Sports Megastar

A collection of illustrations capture a boxer’s triumphant moment. 

A girl sits at a desk, flanked by colorful, stylized figures, evoking a whimsical, surreal atmosphere.

The Trouble with Sidechat

No one feels responsible for what happens on Harvard’s anonymous social media app.