In 1981, Santi Santamaria opened a tavern in his hometown of Sant Celoni, near Barcelona. He served cheap, traditional fare like sausage and beans, while avidly studying books by leading French chefs. His studies paid off, and by 1989, his restaurant, El Racó de Can Fabes, had earned its first Michelin star. By 1994, it had attained three stars—a first for a restaurant in Spain’s Catalan region. Santamaria went on to open popular restaurants in Barcelona, Madrid, Dubai, and Singapore. It was in Singapore last week that Santamaria collapsed in the kitchen during a gathering of chefs and food critics.
As word spread of Santamaria’s death, tributes poured in from other chefs, including those with whom Santamaria had feuded, said the London Telegraph. The preferred target of his wrath was fellow Catalan Ferran Adrià, the pioneer of so-called molecular gastronomy. Santamaria accused Adrià of “poisoning” diners with “snob food” that relied on liquid nitrogen and chemical emulsifiers.
The attack touched off a feud that ended only with Santamaria’s death, said the London Independent. Adrià, whose “elaborate” dishes include candy-coated quails’ eggs and cantaloupe “caviar,” lamented that he and Santamaria “didn’t have a chance to reconcile.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
They might have made peace over a plate of wild mushroom flan or crème brûlée of spider crab with caviar, said Agence France-Presse. Santamaria insisted on working with fresh local food, all of it cooked and served using traditional techniques. “To leave us in his kitchen was a beautiful way for him to leave us,” said Parisian chef Guy Savoy.
-
Bluetoothing: the phenomenon driving HIV spike in FijiUnder the Radar ‘Blood-swapping’ between drug users fuelling growing health crisis on Pacific island
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th-century clothing
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dadIn the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach BoysFeature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluseFeature Stone, an eccentric whose songs of uplift were tempered by darker themes of struggle and disillusionment, had a fall as steep as his rise
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin AmericaFeature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
-
Dame Maggie Smith: an intensely private national treasureIn the Spotlight Her mother told her she didn't have the looks to be an actor, but Smith went on to win awards and capture hearts
