Spain's Newest Wave of Chefs

The Spanish have been the Alexander McQueen or Vivienne Westwood of cooking for the last ten years. They literally reinvented cooking and time honored dishes with new techniques outre spins. This was due to the vision of one man- Ferran Adria and his restaurant El Bulli. Sadly enough El Bulli is closing however Spain will still remain on the cutting edge of cooking innovation.

This was the subject of the great Julia Moskin's article in today's New York Times Wednesday Dining section. El Bulli has been a culinary mecca for foodies around the world. Their tongues were seduced by his new and inventive techniques that involved emulsions and foams. Euros were poured into the Spanish economy and tourism increased in Adria's town of Barcelona thanks to him. There was the worry that Spain would lose that. Not true however. Adria may be stepping down but there are a number of talented and avant garde chefs willing to carry on Spain's new tradition.

The latest crop, much like Adria , are just as genius. There are young chefs ,like Paco Morales of Bilbao who creates a shimmering jellied tomato water with herbs and fresh shaved vegetables. Another chef Valencia's Quique Dacosta of Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum's restaurant created a dish of just a single oyster draped in a film of edible titanium alloy to reflect the museum's silvery window. There are other chefs such as Carme Ruscalleda and her son, Raul Balam,that create food that's more whimsical edible art than actual food. Better yet they are using Spain's vast bounty of seafood, vegetables and fruits as opposed to using ingredients from out of the country.

Even though one chapter of Spain's new culinary history is closing another will be opening. There is a whole new generation of chefs that will keep this avant garde art form of cooking alive. They have the creativity and talent to keep the Iberian peninsula in forefront of global cooking.