Ferran Adria Decides to Close El Bulli Permanently

A few weeks ago, the earth-shattering news came out that Ferran Adria would be closing El Bulli for a hiatus in 2012, but now the Times reports that Adria has changed his mind and will close his restaurant permanently in favor of replacing it with an academy for "advanced culinary study."

According to Adria, he's been losing a half million Euros a year on the restaurant and his cooking workshop in Barcelona, and instead of reopening the restaurant in some form, he would use that money "to establish his new academy and to finance scholarships so the world’s most talented cooks can attend." In other words, Once El Bulli closes for good in December 2011, that will probably be it for him. He has no plans to open another restaurant, though the academy might be open for breakfast, "or an occasional lunch." Whoa.
· El Bulli to Close Permanently [NYT]
· Ferran Adria Announces El Bulli's Closure [~EN~]
· All Coverage of El Bulligeddon [~EN~]