Molecular Cuisine

Presentation

Cuisine has evolved more in the last 25 years than in the last 250 years. Cuisine is science, physics and chemistry. As a result, on this course you will have scientists, physicists and chemists by your side, as well as the world's great chefs.

They will bring their knowledge to cuisine and pass them on to students with the aim of systematising processes, conceptualising designs, investigating the behaviour of gases in carbonation and discovering the response of emulsions through a sauce using cutting-edge tools and machinery.

This course goes far beyond avant-garde cuisine. This course goes beyond the old paradigms to break the rules and lead us to the gastronomy of the future, putting science at the service of the catering sector.

Hervé This, Nicholas Kurti, Claudi Mans and Pere Castells, among others, have been and are responsible for opening up the vision of chefs and leading them to incorporate and use techniques in their cuisine that go beyond stoves.

Objectives

• 1

  To come up with a solid scientific basis on which to develop molecular cuisine.

• 2

  Discover culinary possibilities and new textures based on new ingredients and how they are processed.

• 3

  To learn about and work with new tools, utensils and machinery that are the result of technological innovation.

• 4

  Train students to design a haute cuisine proposal with molecular cuisine criteria.

• 5

  Acquire a specialist language and culture that enables students to carry out their work alongside chemists and scientists.

• 6

  To be able to identify the possibilities and resources offered by local biodiversity to build a global cuisine and its segmented application.

• 7

  Acquire a methodology and habits for creative and innovation processes.

Requisites for admission

The 16 candidates accepted on this course tend to be individuals with a passion for the culinary world. Applicants must have a qualification as a chef or at least three years experience as a chef in a professional kitchen.

Admission process

• 1

  Complete the admission form and submit documentation.

  This process is completed online using this link.

• 2

  Admission test and level of Spanish language proficiency.

  Even though we will provide you with the simultaneous translation pilot system, some knowledge of Spanish would be useful. The admission test will give is an indication of your level and of your personality traits, willingness to work and creativity.

• 3

  Interview with the program coordinator.

  You will have a telematic interview with the program coordinator, who will assess your compatibility with the group and your contribution to the same.

• 4

  Admissions Committee.

  Your application will be sent to the Admissions Committee, which will make the final decision based on information received during the process.

• 5

  Approval and reservation.

  If the opinion is positive, you will be able to enrol by paying for a place booking. Welcome to CIB!

Workload

Program director

A native of Lleida, Pere graduated with a degree in chemical sciences (specialising in organic chemistry) from the University of Barcelona in 1979. He is a professor and director at the Instituto Mola de la Vila de Capellades.

In 2003, he began a collaboration with the research team at Bulli Atelier as manager of what was the scientific department of the restaurant El Bulli. In 2004, he assumed the role of manager of the Department for Scientific and Gastronomical Research at the foundation, a role he would occupy until 2012.

He is a coordinator and author of textbooks on chemistry for baccalaureate students for publishing house McGraw-Gill. In the publishing world, and in collaboration with Albert and Ferran Adrià, he is a co-author of the “Scientific-Gastronomic Lexicon” of Editorial Planeta, which was published in 2006 and has been translated into five languages.

Pere Castells is a member of the ACCA board. Curator of the Materia Condensada exhibit. Cocinar ciencia (Arts Santa Monica Barcelona, 7 July - 8 December 2010). He is also a contributor to the research and scientific magazine and was a scientific-gastronomic contributor in the “Science and cooking” course at Harvard (2010-2017).

He has also been a coordinator of Unitat UB, Bullipèdia of the University of Barcelona and of the UERCC (Education Unit and Units for Scientific Research and Cuisine) and the University of Barcelona. Recently he published "La cocina del futuro" (Cuisine of the future) (2016) and is a participant in the Mediterranean Gastroculture project.