Dinner for $23K Auctioned With Ferran Adria, Former Dishwasher
Dinner with a man who once served as a dishwasher in a Spanish hotel has been auctioned off for more $23,000.
How much is dinner worth with the former dishwasher at a fancy hotel? At least $23,000 if that dishwasher happens to be world-famous Spanish restaurateur Ferran Adria. Dinner with the well-known chef was sold to the highest bidder on Wednesday during an online Sotheby's auction.
"Everybody knew there was just one chance to get this lot of spending time with the great chef Ferran Adria, in his hometown of Barcelona. And this will probably never happen again," Serena Sutcliffe, international head of wine at Sotheby's, told the Associated Press.
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Five people fought for a dinner with the chef, with the final bid placed at $23,200. It would appear that dinner with a chef would best be spent at home in the kitchen, but that was not part of this auction deal. Instead the winner will be treated to dinner at Adria and his brother at a Barcelona restaurant. The winnings also include a trip to Adria's now closed restaurant, elBulli.
But elaborate beginnings are not a part of Adria's tale. The chef began his career as a dishwasher at the Hotel Playafels. It was there that he was taught how to cook traditional Spanish cuisine. Adria was then drafted into the army at the age of 19 and served as a line cook. It was not until 1984, at the age of 22, the Adria secured his first position as a line cook at elBulli. It took Adria only 18 months after that to become the head chef.
In its heyday, elBulli was voted five times by RestaurantList as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. After its closure it was turned into a creative center; all proceeds of the auction will be donated to this cause.
