Chef Joan Roca of El Celler de Can Roca. (JG Photo/Petty Elliot)
Joan Roca is the eldest of the three Roca brothers, proprietors of El Celler De Can Roca, a restaurant built from humble beginnings in a small neighborhood on the edge of Girona in Catalonia, Spain.
Already established in the prestigious Michelin Guide with a coveted three-star rating since 2009, El Cellar De Can Roca was named the S. Pellegrino “Best restaurant in the world” in 2013, succeeding the Copenhagen-based Noma.
With such a reputation, there are diners desperate to find a seat at Roca’s table. The current waiting list runs 11 months, so if you reserve now you might get a table in February 2015, if you’re lucky. I found a novel way of jumping the line and saving the airfare to Spain to savor Joan Roca’s dishes by joining his workshop at the inaugural “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” event at the Sunrice Global Chef Academy in Singapore.
While Joan is the head chef at El Celler De Can Roca, middle brother Josep looks after the front of house and wines, and youngest brother Jordi is the pastry chef.
“We started our restaurant as a small family business in 1986 and my youngest brother joined us in 1998. Our grandparents and parents ran a restaurant long ago, and still do today” Joan said.
(JG Photo/Petty Elliot)
“We have a free-style approach in our cooking. The concept is based on Catalan traditions and we search out the less-explored tastes of local produce, the aroma and flavors of the land and of course our famous wine.
“The food from our childhood is another source of inspiration. Our kitchen is like a journey from the memory — using what you know best, coupled with some experiences traveling to other countries. This can create some very special dishes.”
Roca’s approach to gastronomy is a combination of a fervent imagination and avant-garde cooking techniques. He favors the sous-vide method of placing food in vacuum-sealed plastic bags in a water bath for long periods at regulated temperatures of around 55 to 65 degrees Celsius for meats and fish, and higher for vegetables. The purpose is to cook the food evenly while retaining moisture and succulence.
In his demonstration were six short videos in Spanish with English subtitles, describing a fascinating day at El Celler focused on memory, traditions, wine, learning and “el somnito.” The creativity is not only about food in itself but as an artform, although Roca is quick to describe himself more as an artisan than an artist. A particularly nice touch was footage of the El Celler staff going for meals to his parent’s bistro-style restaurant across the street. The creativity is on display in the presentation to his parents of a magic lantern printed with an outline of the world. Unclipping the lantern door reveals five snacks inspired by Joan and Jordi’s travels: a cornet of a pickled vegetables from China, a guacamole-stuffed globe from Mexico, Moroccan almonds, rose and saffron mix, ceviche from Peru and finally Japanese tempura.
“My parents never visited these places,” Roca explains.
Demonstrating his “world cuisine,” Roca prepared a small round brioche filled with truffle cream and a shaved black truffle topping using Chinese cooking methods to steam a classic Chinese bun. Next, it was oysters in a martini glass on a bed of apple compote. An irresistible compilation of fresh oysters, small cubes of pineapple, lemon peel, ginger cubes, crumbles of ginger bread and a splash of cava or Spanish sparkling wine. I have never eaten oysters with so many different flavors — it was delicious.
Inspired by a traditional Catalan suckling pig recipe, pork belly was cooked sous vide style at 65 degrees Celsius for eight hours. The skin was then crisped and served with different sauces, fermented black garlic, balsamic vinegar, truffle and beetroot, melon and ginger. It was an impeccable dish, typically telling his story.
I managed a short interview with Roca after the workshop.
“My mother inspired me to cook from the age of 9,” he said via an interpreter.
“She did not only teach recipes but also values in life; generosity, hospitality, a good work ethic and etiquette. Working with my brothers is wonderful. We are, of course, close and have always got on well. We respect each other and manage to work hard without a bad word.”
While Joan has found and learned much about Asia and its food, he recognizes there is still a lot left to discover.
“Sadly, I don’t know anything about Indonesian cuisine, so I will visit one day,” he said with a big smile.
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