Founded in 1986 by the Roca brothers, award-winning restaurant El Celler de Can Roca began life neighbouring the bar of their parents Can Roca, situated in the picturesque medieval town of Girona, 60 miles north of Barcelona.
With food which stays very much true to it’s grassroots; the dishes served at El Celler de Can Roca champion the traditional flavours of Catalan cuisine with locally sourced ingredients, elevated by oldest brother and head chef Joan Roca’s use of molecular gastronomy techniques, which the restaurant has become renowned for
The brothers are cited as a pioneers of techniques including the use of liquid nitrogen and sous-vide cooking in the early nineties; implementing low-temperature cooking techniques to create dishes with the utmost precision.
The El Celler de Can Roca menu has previously included dishes and desserts based on famous perfumes, which has subsequently resulted in a perfume being released by the restaurant itself called Nuvol de Ilimona, based on dessert Lemon Distillation.
The restaurant also boasts an extensive range of over 60,000 fine wines in it’s cellars, curated by middle brother Josep Roca who is the sommelier at the restaurant.
The brothers have appeared at Harvard University in the United States as part of the Science and Cooking program, and has also received high praised by fellow chefs, with Michel Roux describing it as “one of the top restaurants in Europe”, and Michel Roux, Jr. stating that it was his favourite restaurant.
However, what is perhaps most impressive is the brothers’ commitment to providing a faultless service to their customers, ensuring that they are fully satisfied; with at least one of the three brothers is present for every service.
In 2009 Josep, Jordi and Joan Roca celebrated the third star awarded by the Michelin Guide to El Celler de Can Roca, with oldest brother Joan saying:
“The only thing that matters is that the client is satisfied and wants to return, regardless of whether the restaurant is number one or number two, three or fifty, or whether we have three stars or two” only further demonstrating the restaurants’ desire to please its’ ever-discerning guests.