In the past six years, El Celler de Can Roca has been listed in the top three World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and in 2018 arrived at #2. In 2019 the restaurant moved to the Best of the Best category. Led by brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca, each with his own expertise – Chef, sommelier and pastry chef. Known for their incredible hospitality, they are as committed as much to their local community as they are to social consciousness throughout the world related to food. Aspire Lifestyles Director of Dining, Ann Hill, spoke with Joan Roca about growing up in the family business, current projects and always taking it one step beyond.
Aspire Lifestyles：Roca Brothers在餐厅都有专长 - 厨师，侍酒师和糕点厨师。由于你们都是训练有素的厨师，你是否曾经常在常规配对合作之外交叉工作，或者你们每个人都是自己的角色？
罗卡兄弟： Yes, we are three brothers that come from three different complimentary gastronomic disciplines, and we are very lucky for that condition, because together we can bring a total experience to the table.
这是一个三方游戏合作。我是厨师，是一种体验的建筑师。 Josep是侍酒师，也会照顾餐厅的情感舞蹈，糕点厨师Jordi最终会在客人认为一切都已经结束时给客人带来惊喜和更新......但绝对没有。在创作过程中，我们每个人都会在每一步都添加自己的愿景。困难的部分是我们花了很多时间做出决定。好事是我们做得好。
AL: You’ve done great things with philanthropy and culinary awareness. Having achieved the #1 spot on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, was there any trepidation about ‘what’s next’ after winning? Although you’ve been in the top 5 for many years, once you achieved the #1 position did it inspire new goals that you may not have set if you hadn’t otherwise reached #1?
罗卡兄弟： 我们从未停下来思考这个......我们通过努力工作，创造力，根源和真实性来实现我们现在的地位。成功幸运地敲响了我们的大门，但除了我们的第一个承诺之外，我们没有采取任何其他策略来达到这一点，这就是我们从那时起一直在做的事情。
生活美食作为一种生活方式也很重要。我醒来，我是一名厨师，我去睡觉，我是一名厨师，自从我记得以来就是这样。
如果您知道如何管理其对团队的情感影响，那么成功的效果在所有方面都是积极的。最重要的是保持脚牢固地接地。
AL: Speaking of philanthropy, you’re involved with the United Nations and other projects on a local and global level. Please tell us more. Did you enjoy cooking in Los Angeles? (My home town!)
罗卡兄弟： We are involved locally first, within our working-class neighborhood, both in social projects as well as in programs for the integration of immigrants and the elderly population. This is something we have been doing since our very beginnings, as our mother did, giving food through the back door of her cuisine to the people that couldn’t afford the simple bar menu at her place. The international focus brought by our restaurant acknowledgments also brought the opportunity to take this responsibility further, which is how we had the chance to collaborate with UN on a project in Kaduna, Africa. We are working in field to find solutions to convert a huge tomato waste rate into an incoming source by trade and conservation. The project is called Food Africa and has joined the Chefs For Change project that will be developed by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants official partnering NGO Farm Africa. This is a very interesting initiative we are collaborating with that adds to the deep conscience on social food matters from chefs across the globe. At the same time, we have been called to raise awareness and collaborate with different solidarity campaigns, as for instance last’s years Elton John’s Aids Foundation dinner gala, held on Oscar’s night.
AL: What progress have you seen over the span of your career so far, what would you like to see happen and how are you becoming part of that evolution?
罗卡兄弟： We have lived several good moments in all these years, and I’d like to think that the most important one is still to come. I’ve been cooking only for35 years, there’s still much more to do!
AL：你教给烹饪和给厨房团队施加压力的烹饪最重要的价值是什么？
罗卡兄弟： 他们必须享受烹饪，寻求烹饪而不是成功的快乐。这不仅仅是一个哲学问题，他们会把很多时间花在厨房里;他们需要爱它。一道菜应该煮熟并充满爱，这意味着我喜欢烹饪，喜欢做厨师，喜欢手中的食材，喜欢你的自然环境，给你这些食材，爱的人是去吃你做的东西，并喜欢你正在烹饪的团队。然后，它必须被爱吃掉。
我也会告诉他们，既不是为了表彰，也不是为了创新，这种创新有时是副产品。此外，必须使用尖端技术来增强口味和风味，而不是代替或高于或作为一种自我的知识展示。
AL: What has been your most memorable food destination (city/country)? Why?
罗卡兄弟： 只有一个？这很难决定。我很享受这么多，但没有我想要的那么多，因为我没有那么多的空闲时间旅行。我很享受在墨西哥，香港，泰国，日本，秘鲁，土耳其留下的街头美食和美食体验......仅举几例。根据这些经验，我可以说世界是一个美妙的食物目的地，充满惊喜，揭开和发现，你永远不会来品尝它们，这是让我们的口味学习和旅行，这是烹饪知识的火。
AL: What is your thought on bloggers and diners on social media vs. established restaurant critics?
罗卡兄弟： 我们正在目睹食品意见的民主化，从专业食品评论家统治的情景到公开的意见来源。客人有权描述他们的经历，这也不错，但是有机会推动卓越，并表明美食不仅限于特定的一群爱好者，而且仅限于普通观众。这是一个好兆头。当然，专家会继续遵循专业建议而不是公开建议。但欢迎每个人都喜欢美食和美食，并在社交媒体上表达爱意。
AL：你在旅行中经历过的最有趣的成分，技术或菜肴是什么激发了你的烹饪？
罗卡兄弟： 很多很多......我不公平地陈述一个或几个。在我们的餐厅项目工作了30年之后，我知道幸运的是，我在世界各地还有更多的发现，作为我们在香港上一次旅行中学到的新烹饪技术，或者我们在智利找到的新海鲜品种。保持惊讶真是太好了。我们还发现了非常有趣的韩国发酵技术或阿根廷木材烧烤烹饪，我们在餐厅采用了它们，并将它们应用于我们当地的肉类和蔬菜，结果非常有趣。
AL：你想在一个休闲，私密的环境中做什么音乐家或乐队来聊天，吃饭，或者听一些他们的音乐？
罗卡兄弟： 当地摇滚乐队Sopa de Cabra，其歌手Gerard Quintana自上学以来就是我的好朋友。
AL: Do non-chef family and friends ever invite you to their home for dinner and cook for the three of you?
罗卡兄弟： 哈哈哈，他们通常都希望我做饭，我喜欢这样做。在夏天的春天，在布拉瓦海岸的一个小岩石海滩上，更多的是在沙滩上烹饪米饭，一起在火炉旁，在海边烹饪。
AL：哪个餐厅，酒店，人或地方最能激发您的热情好客？
罗卡兄弟： 我的父母，当然。我和他的兄弟一起在他们的餐厅酒吧Can Roca长大。他们住在顶层生活，现在仍然活着，所以当我们还是孩子的时候，我们在母亲的厨房和餐厅酒吧餐厅放学后，一直在客户中间玩耍。在那里，我明白烹饪和服务是为了让人们开心，关心他人，我意识到我的父母很高兴这样做，这是一种生活方式。
AL：人们来到你的餐厅进行特殊场合，成为生活的时刻。对你来说，这是你的日常工作描述。是什么构成了为你工作的美好的一天，你能告诉我们有什么突出的吗？
罗卡兄弟： 这是一种非常漂亮的方式来看待它...是的，这是我们的目标，留在我们客人的记忆中，知道食用物质将是短暂的。我们很幸运，因为这种情况每天都在发生，客人与我们分享。如果这些客人是厨师同事，这种感觉让这一天值得付出更多的努力，甚至更多。
AL: One evening you get to take 5 chefs (present or past) to dinner at any restaurant in the world. Which chefs do you bring along with you and where do you take them (aside from your own restaurant)? Why those chefs and why that restaurant?
罗卡兄弟： 我邀请这5位厨师参加El Somni的特别表演，这是一场在巴塞罗那举行的多感官美食歌剧盛宴，我的兄弟只有12人参加2013年的千载难逢体验.FerranAdrià已经是十二人之一他非常感动，因为那是他生日前一天。因此，如果我们不能制作一张6人桌，我会邀请JoëlRobuchon，FrançoiseVatel，Marie-AntoineCarême，August Escoffier和Freddy Girardet。
AL：你在The World的50家最佳餐厅名单中的位置如何改变了你的生活？
罗卡兄弟： What has really changed is the management of the bookings and media requests. We have been pleased with receiving an increased amount of them. It also has had a fantastic impact on our surrounding area’s economy, being a boost as a gastronomic and travel destination. It has allowed our local producers and excellent local ingredients to be shown and our wonderful geography to be placed on the global map. The wonderful chefs and cooks of the area and their small restaurants receive more visits because of this welcomed foodie tourism. Meanwhile, indoors, we have kept faithful to our commitment to creativity and excellence, investing in research and development. We created La Masia (I+R), our research, training, multi-disciplinary exchange and creativity center, right in front our restaurant. The moto always is to take one step beyond.