A few weekends ago we attended Ferran Adria’s book signing for his latest: The Family Meal. I’ve been interested in this book since I first learned about it… remembering the perfectly timed, 20 minute meals together in the dining room of El Bulli. It was something the team took seriously in principle – but the food itself was very down to earth. Like the food you’d eat at home, with family. It’s an idea I instill here at Sushisamba, too.

Photography: Jeff Carvalho/Selectism.com

At the signing Ferran shared his thoughts on knowledge, cooking, learning, Spain and the culinary world through Spanish eyes. He commented on the world’s fascination with the idea of sharing – constantly, informally and as much as possible (read: Twitter generation). It’s a global way of being that has influenced cuisine and instigated the dawn of a new culinary style: the gastropub.

For The Family Meal Ferran and his team began re-thinking the idea of staff eating. They didn’t want to serve frozen items – they wanted nourishing food that everyone could enjoy. Ferran noted that while he loved offal and tripe – these weren’t ingredients that everyone would be excited about. Together they began thinking of family meal ‘menus’ in the same way you’d plan a collection of recipes and organized dishes for restaurant guests. In this way, family meals became both thoughtful and more efficient. The cook book is truly the family meal – meals for home – because the recipes are practical, cost-conscious and supportive of more ‘universal’ tastes. As Ferran summed it up, “It’s a social book.”