Multinational auctioneer Sotheby's is going to sell off the elBulli wine cellar in April to raise funds for the upcoming elBulli Foundation, the culinary think tank/museum/experience that will replace chef Ferran Adrià's now-shuttered restaurant in Spain. Ahead of the auction Sotheby's dropped an amazingly revealing interview with Adrià on their Tumblr (yes, Sotheby's has a Tumblr). The interview is mainly about wine, but it's also a wide-ranging quick-hit Q&A series, including off-the-wall questions like what his favorite shoes are (Campers). Here now, the top ten fun facts:
1) Adrià says he has never had a mentor and thinks having one is a bad idea: "[T]his has been fundamental in my career. I have not had a master... I did not work alongside a master for four or five years, because otherwise it would have been impossible to do what we did. If you study with someone, you will be marked."
2) The thing that makes Adrià "instantly" frown is injustice.
3) Adrià has never, ever downloaded music.
4) He has not purchased shoes in 15 years since, according to Adrià , "A friend of mine has given me shoes."
5) Adrià does not have a favorite airline because "[F]lights are always arranged for me. I have no say in the matter so I do not get to choose."
6) His favorite local restaurant is Tickets in Barcelona, his brother's restaurant and one of the toughest reservations in the world.
7) One of his passions is FC Barcelona, the Barcelona soccer team. "When I am watching the Barça," said Adrià, "I forget about everything else."
8) The last movie he saw was Life of Pi.
9) He has "guilty secrets" but will not share them. When asked, he replied: "That which I cannot confess and I am not about to confess."
10) Adrià would like to have a "hypothetical" dinner with Picasso even though he "wasn't a very foody person."
The Interview - No 14: Ferran Adrià [Sotheby's via FDL]
· All Ferra Adrià Coverage on Eater [-E-]