Roca's Rock Istanbul

Passion is the key word. This can be the single word to explain the success of the Roca brothers, Catalonia?s formidable trio behind the legendary El Celler de Can Roca, which was recently selected as the top restaurant in the world in the prestigious San Pellegrino list of the World?s 50 Best Restaurants. Their dedication to their work is amazing. It is a team play for them; Joan is the chef, Jordes the sommelier, Jordi the patisserie chef. They find themselves strongly in power in their homeland of Girona, just north of Barcelona close to the French border, yet they enjoy exploring the world with great enthusiasm, like a child?s first encounter with the outside world. 

The Roca brothers, together with their entire kitchen team, were visiting Istanbul as a part of their Roca & Roll World Tour. This culinary world tour is a three-year project sponsored by the BBVA Spanish Bank Group and hosted in Istanbul by their Turkish partner, Garanti Bank. Though theirs are the most sought-after tables in the world, the restaurant was shut down for five weeks to have the entire kitchen team included in the tour. This is a very honest act; they just do not want to have their place running if they are all absent. They learned this faithfulness to their customers as a family trade; their mother is still cooking herself in their family run restaurant at the age of 78 and their father never skips a day bartending at the age of 83.

Dedication to the restaurant business is in their veins; cooking is a family tradition running in their bloodstreams. 

I sense this passion and dedication the first time I see Joan Roca?s eyes, sparkling with excitement as he gave a talk at the MSA, The Culinary Arts Academy, Istanbul?s leading cooking school. The past week...