Celler de Can Roca: The World’s Best Restaurant visited Phoenix

By Editor August 23, 2016 12:30

(Featured photo from left to right: Jordi; Pastry Chef Joan; Executive Chef Josep; Sommelier. Photo Credit: BBVA)

By: Isabel Byfield

Named in 2013 and 2015 as the World’s Best Restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca is indisputably one of a kind. The dining experience at this Girona, Spain based family restaurant is a perfectly balanced delight for the senses. More than a dining experience, it’s an emotional voyage between the conventional and the modern.

Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca are the stars of a team of 40 people that make up the El Celler de Can Roca family. Their restaurant closed its doors for 5 weeks to take on a world tour in partnership with BBVA bank, the official sponsor of this culinary adventure – with stops in London to Hong Kong, Phoenix, San Francisco and Santiago de Chile.

Despite their accolades, El Celler de Can Roca preserves a family atmosphere; the restaurant is in the same neighborhood they grew up in, and they don’t have any plans to expand or open up other locations, even though they have received numerous offers. Joan Roca, the executive chef and eldest brother, is emphatic when he says “The soul of the restaurant is its people, if we expand or open other restaurants, without the people at the Celler de Can Roca, it would not be what it is today”.

The Celler de Can Roca is more than a restaurant, it is an intricate conglomeration of three unique pieces, just like the three Roca Brothers: The Restaurant; booked solid for the next year, only seats 50 people and always has at least 2 of the Roca brothers on site. The Roca Lab; their creative and research center, where – with their hands on approach – they develop new techniques that make all the innovation that happen in the kitchen possible. And The Masia, their organic vegetable garden, where they have a variety of over 400 spices they use in their creations; and is home to the seeds from fruits and vegetables they bring with them from their trips around the world.

The Cooking Tour Experience in Phoenix

The food and wine pairings that the Roca Brothers featured in Phoenix were the result of a previous discovery trip and some research done in advance. It captured the essence of the dessert and the characteristic flavors of the region, such as nopal and prickly pear.

The Four Seasons Hotel was home to the Roca Brothers and their entire crew (40 people working with them in Girona, Spain). In addition, the students from the Arizona Culinary institute had the privilege to assist them in the kitchen; and two of them, Victoria Tan and Lexi Cordle, were awarded a scholarship that will allow them to learn for 4 months in Girona at El Celler de Can Roca.

The dishes showcased a fond appreciation for Latin cuisine – with quinoa, mole, avocados and chili peppers as key ingredients, the Roca Brother’s admiration for our countries shined through every plate.

Suckling Pig and Barbecue Brioche (By: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Grapefruit and Campari Bonbon (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Oyster with Californian Chardonnay, Iodine Sauce, Apple and Champignon Mushroom Foam (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Knuckle of Veal and Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa, Blueberries, Chili Threads, Cocoa (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Shrimp Parmentier with Mole of Shrimp, Phytoplankton Sponge Cake and Crunchy Legs, Smoked with Spices (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Halibut with Californian Flavors Green Olives, Bergamot, Fennel, Orange and Californian Walnut (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Green Chromaticism Avocado, Lime, Cucumber, Nopal (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Dessert Garden (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Gold-dusted Chocolate (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Phoenix should definitely feel proud of being chosen as one of the stops in this worldwide culinary experience. The richness of the dessert and the strong Latino influence were just some of the reasons we’re thankful for the Roca Brothers and their willingness to be our guests of honor during the past week. We sincerely hope that this isn’t the last time they visit us.