The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli

I'm kind of pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this. I'm not a fanatical foodie, I'm someone who enjoys good food, and I enjoy occasionally watching Top Chef, and that's about it. While I think this book is very suited to foodies, I also think it's entertaining and well-written for those who simply 'like food.'

Lisa's accounts of the drudgery in the repetitive work sometimes made me worry that I would begin to feel that reading the book itself was a big of a drudge (it can be dangerous to describe drudgery a little too well!), but it was thankfully broken up with interesting explorations into some of the different stagiaires (those who work for free, for six months, at elBulli). I came to have my 'favourites' stagiaires like show more Kim and Katie, as well as Luke and Gael, and so found myself appreciating the 'breaks' from long descriptions of tiresome work (it is in this latter where the author loses a star for me).

The book overall is warm, observant, cleverly paced and intelligent. It had me contemplating things I did not expect to contemplate as a result of 'reading a book about a restaurant.' I wondered about the philosophy of food, about the purpose of food, and the purpose of patrons in a restaurant. About whether it's worth striving for perfection and what sacrifices are worth it and what is gained from the process. And, as a two-dimensional artist, I also learned some more about the fickle beast that is Creativity, and how different people may go about cultivating it.

I'm happily keeping this in my non-fiction collection. It may be the only book I ever have in the genre, but I'm happy to have it. A lovely read. show less

Engaging behind-the-scenes book about El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant that was one of the centers of avant-garde cuisine until its closing in 2011. Rather than provide yet another biography of the chef Ferran Adria, Abend concentrates on the stagiares: the culinary version of unpaid interns, found at many restaurants but a highly sought-after position at El Bulli (3,000 applicants every year for about 30 openings!). As she chronicles their daily routines (I never knew just how many hours of tedious tasks went into supporting Adria's creativity) and profiles several of the stagiares in depth, Abend perfectly captures their hopes, frustrations, disappointments and successes. While I came out of the book feeling like I wouldn't have found show more the food all that satisfying, and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to work for Adriai, I do have a better understanding of the stagiares' desire for learning, inspiration and validation -- and hope they found it, either there or somewhere else. show less

'The Sorcerer's Apprentices' is an engaging, warm and smartly-written book about life behind-the-scenes at the legendary Spanish restaurant ElBulli.Under the leadership of chef Ferran Adria, the restaurant made a name for itself due to its wonderous, incredibly imaginative cuisine, going on to accrue three Michelin stars and numerous awards. 'Apprentices' gives readers a look at the people who helped run the place over the course of a season.

For many people, their first behind-the-scenes look at restaurant kitchen life came courtesy of Anthony Bourdain's 'Kitchen Confidential' (which the author references several times). Quite a different scenario is presented here. Rather than the chaos and rowdiness Bourdain wrote about, the team at show more ilBuilli was expected to operate as a tightly-disciplined machine. A new batch of cooks was brought in seasonally to work for free - in exchange, they get to put that experience on their resume. It's truly fascinating to see how these people, many of whom already had experience at top restaurants, adjusted - or failed to - their new situation. The vibrant diversity of backgrounds, the multitude of interesting life stories, make for great reading. There's really two things they all had in common - a love of cooking, and a certain remarkable drive. The latter particularly served them well, as many of them found life at elBulli quite far from what they could have expected.

The restaurant's full-time staff aren't profiled as completely. After all, the book is entitled 'The Sorcerer's Apprentices,' not 'The Sorcerer.' But we do get some insight into the way they interacted with their team, they roles they played in helping turn this disparate group of people into the machine it needed to be.

Following the group's ups and downs, their challenges and victories, painful lessons and even scary moments (note to self: be careful handling hot oil!) is completely engaging for anyone at all curious about restaurant life, particularly one as unique as ElBulli. Whether you're a gourmand or not, I highly recommend the book for a peek into a life most of us will never know. A life that, at least for elBulli, is now permanently assigned to the past - the restaurant completed its final season this past July. show less

This book was well written and accomplished the task of telling a difficult story- lots of scenes, not much plot line, a cast of thousands...-with some skill. Although I love to eat and used to love watching the real Food Network when there were actual chefs with training on the shows and not chefs with just attitude and/or bad hair. The book didn't move me because, while the concept of food as art may well be intriguing to some, eating foam and dishes created only thanks to science and technology does not intrigue me personally. Yes, I know. El Bulli is the most famous restaurant in the world. And I don't care. Even after reading the book, I don't care.

Very enjoyable book for people interested in professional kitchens. I think I hate the concepts that drive elBulli and the type of cuisine they serve but it was still fascinating. Book is enhanced by Google so you can see many of the dishes described and diners reactions to the food. Or the art. However you choose to view it.

Give me good old fashioned local farm to table food instead!

Over the past few years, Ferran Adria’s restaurant elBulli has gained a worldwide reputation. But what is Adria trying to achieve with his unusual dishes, and what would it be like to work in elBulli’s kitchen? Lisa Abend answers both those questions in her book, The Sorcerer’s Apprentices, A season in the kitchen at Ferran Adria’s elBulli.

The food
“Food can be whatever you imagine it to be” is the defining principle behind Ferran Adria’s recipes.

“Yet Ferran is not content simply to emphasize flavour. If he were, he would be serving that liquid-nitrogenized mango sorbet alone in a bowl. He combines pure flavours in new, provocative ways and brings new techniques to the same task not just because they are amusing or taste show more good but because, in doing so, he allows his diners to re-examine their expectations of what food is and what it can be.”

“ ‘What we’ve done,’ Ferran likes to say, ‘is create a new vocabulary, a new language, for cooking.’ That new vocabulary has produced some startling metaphors: ‘dragon’ cocktails that make the drinker breathe smoke, ‘caviar’ made from tiny spheres of olive oil. But it is his grammar – that is, the way he puts plates together – that is most astonishing. Hot turns into cold, sweet into savory, solid into liquid or air. Adria’s cooking plays with the diner’s expectations, undermines established categories of taste and texture, and constantly, miraculously, continues to surprise.”

The work
The book profiles the 32 apprentices who spend six months preparing the food at elBulli. With no pay and no opportunity to try the unusual dishes they are producing, it’s hard, monotonous work. “Precision, physical endurance, the abilities to overcome disgust and keep one’s opinions to oneself: these are all key qualities in a stagiaire. But although the cooks may not realize it yet, another characteristic will be infinitely more important to their success at elBulli, and that is the mental and emotional ability to withstand the tedious.” show less

I will begin by saying that if you are a foodie reader, you enjoy shows like Bourdain's No Reservations, then you will likely enjoy this book. The only reason I did not rate it higher is that it can get a bit technical at times in terms of the food preparation descriptions. However, what I found a bit heavy at times may actually be a strength for other readers. The book documents the 2009 season at El Bulli. We get both the story of the famous restaurant, its genius chef Ferran Adrià, and the tales of trials and sacrifices of the stagiaires (the apprentices) who work for no pay and come to work there at their own expense. We get to see not only how the restaurant works but also the inner workings. Overall, the book is an interesting show more read. Personally, I wanted to read it after Bourdain featured it in his show, dining with the great master chef.

Similar reads would be other epicurean interest books and those books one could label as "stunt books" (ones where the author either does or documents some kind of "stunt" for a fixed amount of time). Books I've read that may have similar appeal factor include:

*Josh Peter, Fried Twinkies, Buckle Bunnies, & Bull Riders. This is another book documenting a season within a subculture.
*Pat Willard, America Eats!. Food travel, plus American history.
*Kyle Jarrard, Cognac. show less