El Bulli

[Louisa Chu]

Pan, yes - now that we're on Christmas break at ADPA.

Ted, I don't know yet - I'm waiting to hear back. One of the cooks at Ducasse has a friend who just started there so he's going to try to help me out too.

Bux, I'm kidding - I'm not camping out!

[sandra]

I still think you will need a translator to go with you.. you know.. for those "difficult" words...

[Louisa Chu]

Sandra - you already know how much fun that would be - and dangerous too! Can you imagine us there? Two trash-talking girl cooks - in at least four languages!

[Bux]

Bux, I'm kidding - I'm not camping out!

It's right on the Mediterranean. Beachcomber Chef would be a great book title.

[Louisa Chu]

Hey, don't think I haven't fantasized about it. I do have my whole North Face expedition kit here - and all my SCUBAPRO gear - talk about the freshest seafood!

[Mayhaw Man]

Congratulations on your latest achievement.

I would be really interested to know if there are general employee meals at El Bulli (or anywhere else you have been so far, for that matter) and if there are meals, what do they usuallyconsist of?

My experience with this is that employee meals are generally "pot food" but often very good (and occasionally very, very bad). Although I have worked in places where it tended to be ethnic food (primarily latin american or Vietnamese) due to the majority of the staff being from those places.

[Louisa Chu]

Thanks very much - but I haven't achieved anything yet at El Bulli!

From what I hear, yes, El Bulli does their staff meals in house - kind of a necessity given their remote location. At ADPA we take our meals in the Plaza personnel restaurant - except for the chef and sous-chef who have their meals made just for them - but it's still simple food - salad, sandwiches, or pasta. I'll post more detail over on the France board later.

My favourite staff meals were at our family's Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant just outside of Chicago. My favourite dish was thin, transparent rice noodles cooked in chicken broth - served with chicken broth, the finest julienne of crispy-skinned roasted duck, fistfuls of green onion and cilantro, finished with a generous squeeze of hot sauce and half a lemon freshly juiced over.

[tan319]

Bux,

Sorry bout that. I guess I was mixed up about 2 hours from Barcelona?

[Matthew Grant]

Pinch me - pinch me hard.

It's just been confirmed. But I still don't believe it yet. Nor have any of the details worked out. Don't speak Spanish - forget about Catalan. But one thing I do know is that I will be working there up until closing night Season 2004 - the hottest night of the year at El Bulli!

Lou, I can't be 100% on this but when I was at the restaurant i visited the kitchen and I was told that there were many languages spoken in the kitchen and English was the most important. This surprised me knowing Ferran Adrias lack of English

[Pan]

Louisa, are you eventually envisioning opening a restaurant, or do you still see yourself going back into food journalism full-time after all this is done?

Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it.

[Louisa Chu]

Matthew, my confirmation from El Bulli said that Spanish would be helpful - all I can say is that thank God it's not Catalan - though of course I hope to pick some of that up too. English - of course you can get by just about anywhere in the world with English, but you miss out on the good stuff. And it was better talking to Albert in French than it was English - and I think from what Tony Bourdain's said it was the same for him with Ferran - I mean Chef - in French.

Pan, I first started out down this international gastronomic path to be a better food journalist, but as our ADPA boulanger he said to me "T'es folle!"/"You're crazy!" I am crazy - I want it all - I want my own restaurant and to work as a food journalist.

And yes, thanks - Joyeux Noel! I do celebrate Christmas - in that American secular kinda way. I'm going skating at the Hotel de Ville tonight with my best friend/roomie Grace. We're taking thermoses - one with hot water for our spicy ramen noodles and the other with white vin chaud - and chocolate bars - lots of chocolate.

[bcnchef]

Hey Jordi - that's so cool! Come on - give it up - how'd you get it? victornet and I want to know!

Quite honestly, I'm not sure how I got so lucky. I sent an initial request (in English) and got a response saying that they were booked for the entire season.

I replied to that email (in Spanish) saying that it didn't matter what day, what time and how large a table but I would take any seating they had. I may have even sent a third message in Catalan, I can't remember exactly now.

In any event, a couple of weeks later, I got a confirmation. I'm as surprised as anyone as I wasn't expecting a positive response after that first message.

Hey -- if you are thinking of remaining in Spain after your stage, get in touch with me. I'm launching a new tasting menu-only restaurant in Barcelona. Not exactly El Bulli style, but certainly interesting stuff. We should talk. :)

Jordi.

[Louisa Chu]

Jordi, so you can teach me how to swear in Catalan then! Barcelona - thanks so much - and yes, we should talk - that sounds so cool - when's your projected opening date? Because at this point it looks like I'll be going to China for a month right after.

[paul mitchell]

30 courses of rabbit lip foam and deconstructed marine iguana's feet

with slivered pistachio's. You're in for a treat!

[tan319]

Now now, Paul...

[Bux]

Actually, we'd like to hear about his dinner. Those dishes were so different from the ones we had.

[bcnchef]

Jordi, so you can teach me how to swear in Catalan then! Barcelona - thanks so much - and yes, we should talk - that sounds so cool - when's your projected opening date? Because at this point it looks like I'll be going to China for a month right after.

Catalan, like French, has a particularly rich selection of swear words... :)

Aren't you the world traveller... France.. Spain.. China.. Perhaps I cannot afford you?

:)

Drop me a line when you make it to Barcelona, either before, during or after your stage. My address is bcnchef AT hotmail DOT com

J.

[Louisa Chu]

Jordi - Catalan curses - oh you will have to teach me - please! You know it's the most important key to being accepted into any kitchen!

Afford me - depends on what we're talking about.

[chapeaulong]

I too was accepted for a stage at El Bulli, this year. I am very excited. I came to egullet hoping to find someone else who was going. I am interested in learning how you came to be accepted.(I sent numerous letters including my resume, and applied online several times.) And also was curious as to any arrangements youre making befrorehand. I still need to get my visa but that shouldnt be a problem because Sr. Raurich sent me a letter from the CETT, a division of the University of Barcelona, verifying my acceptance into an extension course through the school.(the stage at El Bulli). I was going to D.C. today, but the streets are a mess with ice.

[Louisa Chu]

chapeaulong, congratulations! This is too cool! How I came to be accepted - I don't really know - can't wait to ask - but I think it was my stage at Ducasse. Arrangements - working through Cordon Bleu and the French embassy and the Spanish embassy here in Paris - not sure if my French Carte de Sejour will be applicable for Spain, where I'll need to renew it, etc. Good luck to you.

[Bux]

The facts of life:

A stint in kitchens such as Ducasse or El Bulli is going to be very helpful in getting that next position.

EGullet is where one might expect to run into cooks who have worked or are on their way to a stage at El Bulli.