Between tradition and innovation: the case of El Celler de Can Roca

Abstract

El Celler de Can Roca restaurant in Girona, which is run by the three Roca brothers and was awarded three Michelin stars in November 2009, was named the best restaurant in the world in 2013 and 2015 by the British publication The Restaurant Magazine. However, the history of this restaurant dates back much further. Joan, Josep, and Jordi were raised in a family dedicated to the restaurant business. The three brothers grew up in the kitchen of the family-owned restaurant their parents still run today, learning the wide range of traditional Catalan recipes from their mother. This article presents the creative process followed by the three brothers and how this links tradition and innovation on the basis of 13 key elements: academia, memory, tradition, contrast, landscape, wine, chromaticism, product, audacity, magic, transversality, idealism, and sense of humor. The article demonstrates how the brothers articulate the discourse of the Celler de Can Roca menu, a veritable declaration of principles and philosophy rooted in the local region