Profile: Joan Roca, of El Celler de Can Roca fame, reveals what brings him joy
His restaurant may consistently rank among the world’s best but the Spanish chef’s mother still makes him his lunch every day
HOW THE ROCAS ROLL The last three generations of my family have had their own restaurants. My brothers and I opened El Celler de Can Roca 30 years ago; our parents have Can Roca (across the road, in the Girona suburb of Taialà), where they’ve been working for the past 50 years; and our grandparents had a restaurant in La Garrocha, a mountain village 25km from Girona. The only time we all eat together is Christmas, when my mother and I cook. It’s the most stressful day of the year for me, not because it’s complicated to cook for my family, but because I’m used to having 40 cooks helping me. So the day I have to do everything myself, I’m a disaster.
When we’re both in the kitchen, my mother’s in charge. She does fantastic arroces caldosos – a speciality in Girona. It’s a rice dish but with broth, not dry like paella. She’s the best cook in the world. In fact, every day, my two brothers, Jordi and Josep, and myself, along with our team of 65 people working at El Celler de Can Roca, cross the road at midday and eat at my parents’ restaurant. It helps us stay connected to our roots, and is a very healthy way to keep us grounded.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME You have to take it with a pinch of salt when they say you’re the best restaurant in the world, because you know that doesn’t really exist. It’s subjective and, for many, the best restaurant in the world is home.
When I was 10 years old, I told my mother I wanted to be a chef, and said, “Get me a chef’s jacket.” They didn’t come in such a small size, so she had to get one made for me. I still keep it. After school I’d help cook and wait on tables. In those days my parents’ restaurant would be open all year, so as children we’d play there. It was normal. We fell in love with the restaurant business as we saw how happy our parents – and their guests – were.
