Albert Adrià's interest in cuisine first began thanks to his parents, Ginés and Josefa, but it was his brother Ferran who inspired him to explore food as a career. In 1985, he left his studies to begin working at elBulli. After two years of apprenticeship, he started to focus his interest on pâtisserie. He completed his education in various pâtisseries alongside great pastry chefs such as Antoni Escribà and Francisco Torreblanca. In late 1998, he began working on a creativity workshop at the headquarters of Bullicatering. The Bullitaller consisted of a table, some books and two chairs, one for him and the other for Oriol Castro. The workshop quickly gained in importance for the creative development of elBulli, so it moved to a new location in the centre of Barcelona. Until 2008, Albert Adrià worked as the director of the Bullitaller and was responsible for desserts at elBulli. In March 2006, Adrià opened Inopia Classic Bar in Barcelona, a bar serving modernised traditional tapas. Many identify Inopia as the first gastrobar in Spain. In 2009, he released his second solo book, Natura, and directed the documentary Un día en El Bulli, which won awards at several festivals. In July 2010, he left the Inopia bar, which would be renamed Lolita taperia, to concentrate on his new project, Tickets. In January 2011, he opened 41º, located on Avinguda del Paral·lel in Barcelona, which operated both as a cocktail bar and later as a 16-seat restaurant only open in the evening, with a tasting menu and cocktails. At the same time, he launched alongside his brother Ferran and the Iglesias brothers, the owners of the Barcelona seafood restaurant Rías de Galicia. In 2013, Albert Adrià opened , a nikkei restaurant on Carrer de Lleida. In September 2013, Adrià's fourth concept opened, , a vermouth bar where apéritifs are the crux of a menu for diners seated at tables or at the bar, located on Carrer Tamarit in Barcelona, just in front of Tickets. In November of the same year, he published his third book, Tapas. La cocina del Tickets. From 2013, ' was filmed, a documentary exploring Adrià's life as an inventive chef and businessman throughout the creation of his various gastronomic concepts and personal projects. In 2014, he opened a double restaurant, , a Mexican street food taquería, and , a gourmet Mexican restaurant on Avinguda Mistral in Barcelona. In February 2015, Albert and his brother Ferran partnered with Cirque du Soleil for their ' project, a multi-purpose space in Ibiza uniting art, gastronomy and music. In 2015, he founded , a company specialised in selected apéritif products. In February 2015, Adrià arrived in London with his team for a 50-day residency at the iconic Hotel Café Royal, 50 Days by Albert Adrià, where he adapted local products and dishes to his personal style. In June 2016, he opened his new project, , a labyrinthine space for only 24 diners on Carrer Sepúlveda, the evolution of his previous 41º bar, the latest establishment opened in the Paral·lel area of the group of restaurants known as .
Awards
Recognised as one of the 13 most influential people in the world of gastronomy and food by TIME Magazine in 2013.
In November 2013, at the gala held in Bilbao, Albert Adrià received the double recognition of receiving a Michelin star for the restaurant Tickets and another for 41º.
In November 2014, Pakta received the only Michelin star granted to a restaurant in Catalonia, but 41º lost its star due to closing.
In November 2015, the Mexican restaurant Hoja Santa received its first Michelin star.
