{"id":150460,"date":"2026-01-08T09:02:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T08:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mallorcaglobalmag.es\/?p=150460"},"modified":"2026-01-08T09:04:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T08:04:03","slug":"ferran-adria-interview-mallorca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mallorcaglobalmag.es\/en\/ferran-adria-interview-mallorca\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferran Adri\u00e0, in Mallorca: “The restaurant sector is facing the most radical change I’ve witnessed”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mallorca Global Mag interviews the global gastronomic icon Ferran Adri\u00e0 exclusively<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Ferran

Photos: Piter Castillo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Revered around the world for having forever changed the way we understand cuisine, Ferran Adri\u00e0 has visited Mallorca with CaixaBank to share his experience in innovation and management in the restaurant industry. In an exclusive interview for <\/span>Mallorca Global Mag<\/span><\/i>, the chef who revolutionized contemporary gastronomy details his vision of the future of the sector, the importance of adaptation, and the value of the products that define the island.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Your career as a chef began by chance. To what extent has that been an advantage for developing such a disruptive outlook on gastronomy?<\/b><\/p>\n

– It has been vital. When you devote yourself to creating at the highest level, having a master is not necessarily good. Starting accidentally, not out of vocation, becoming head chef at elBulli at 22, was fundamental. If I had had a mentor, my career would have been different, without a doubt.<\/span><\/p>\n

– You\u2019ve said you wanted to retire at 50, that you didn\u2019t want money to be what drove you\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

– Well, this needs to be explained properly. We were two partners, Juli Soler and I, and for 14 years we didn\u2019t make any money. Later we developed a business model in which elBulli wasn\u2019t our source of income, because we didn\u2019t want it to be. We advised twenty multinationals in the food industry and that\u2019s how we earned money\u2026 for what the restaurant world is, since we\u2019re not football players \u2013 he jokes. Not distributing dividends allowed us to save. In my case, since I don\u2019t have children, I said fine, at 50 I retire. How much money do I need for the lifestyle I lead? Which is more modest than people might imagine. And I said okay, I\u2019m retiring. But I\u2019m still involved with elBullifoundation, where, naturally, I don\u2019t get paid. There was a legend that elBulli didn\u2019t make money, that we were ruined\u2026 If I\u2019m here and I have a foundation, I can\u2019t be ruined. But I\u2019m not Messi or Michael Jordan, you have to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

– What have you learned from that direct contact with the food industry?<\/b><\/p>\n

– A lot. A restaurant has nothing to do with a company like Pepsico or Nestl\u00e9, with thousands and thousands of employees and staggering billions in revenue. You learn the good and what not to do. It\u2019s a completely different sector from restaurants, especially in terms of innovation, which is where I was involved. So I have a more holistic vision and I\u2019ve learned a great deal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t