The Roca brothers reject avant-gardism for its own sake. Their guiding principle is “cuina de l’emoció” (emotional cuisine). This philosophy holds that the most powerful taste is often the one that triggers a personal memory—the scent of wet earth after rain, a grandmother’s stew, or a childhood candy.
El Celler de Can Roca: The Symbiosis of Avant-Garde Technique, Familial Heritage, and Emotional Gastronomy El Celler De Can Roca
Ninety percent of the ingredients are sourced from Catalonia and the Costa Brava. They work with local foragers, fishermen who deliver daily catches, and farmers who grow heirloom varieties of peas and tomatoes. The restaurant even has its own garden, L'Hort de Can Roca , where they grow over 200 varieties of herbs, flowers, and vegetables. The Roca brothers reject avant-gardism for its own sake
The genius of El Celler lies in the equal distribution of creative and operational responsibility among the three brothers, each a master of their domain: El Celler de Can Roca: The Symbiosis of
The story of El Celler de Can Roca begins not in a grand metropolis but in the humble Can Roca , a bar-tapas restaurant opened by the Roca parents in 1967 in the Taialà neighborhood of Girona. In 1986, the brothers—Joan (cooking), Josep (wine), and Jordi (pastry)—took over a small space next to the family bar. By 1995, they earned their first Michelin star, followed by a second in 2002 and a third in 2009. In 2013 and 2015, the restaurant was named The World’s Best Restaurant by Restaurant magazine. This trajectory illustrates a deliberate, organic growth where family unity became the ultimate competitive advantage.
El Celler De Can Roca: Inside the World’s Most Harmonious Culinary Legend