Away From Home but Not the Kitchen

 El Celler de Can Roca has climbed to the summit of world gastronomy without ruffling the simple routines of the family that runs it. The restaurant, in this city about an hour’s drive northeast of Barcelona, is owned and operated by three brothers who still lunch on their mom’s food every day in the nearby restaurant where they grew up, learning about cooking while playing soccer among the tables and chairs. “I can’t imagine working in a place that is not in Girona, nor working without my brothers,” said Joan Roca, the chef and oldest brother. “We’re deeply connected, not just as a family but to this very special part of the earth. We’ve got around here a diversity of landscapes and ingredients that would be hard to get elsewhere.” Yet at the end of July, the brothers will temporarily close El Celler for five weeks (instead of the usual one-week summer break), and embark on a tour of six cities in the Americas that kicks off in Houston on Aug. 4 and ends in Lima, Peru, on Sept. 5. Along with their staff of 30, they plan to visit restaurants, cook at culinary schools and collaborate with other chefs… READ MORE