The Roca brothers are back in town on their culinary tour.
On any given day, Houston might easily offer the most interesting culinary experiences in Texas if not the country. Next week, this city is poised to be the most interesting culinary spot on the planet.
That’s because the Roca brothers (head chef Joan, pastry chef Jordi, and sommelier Josep who run the world’s No. 1 restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain) return to Houston for the 2015 edition of the Roca Tour sponsored by BBVA Compass. This will be the second year the Rocas have visited Houston as part of a gastronomic event that commenced Aug. 1 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then moved to the United States with stops in Miami and Birmingham, Ala. Houston is the third U.S. stop of the tour (last year, the tour kicked off in Houston) during which the Rocas will prepare dinners for 100 people each night MondayWednesday at Caracol, which will be closed for regular business as it hosts the Rocas. The tour concludes in Istanbul Aug. 31Sept. 3.
Last year, the tour garnered international culinary attention when BBVA tapped El Celler de Can Roca to participate in an unprecedented project wherein the Rocas would re-create meals served at their modern Spanish restaurant at each city they visited. The dinners are private events attended by the bank’s top clients.
This year the brothers decided to tailor their menu to reflect each city they visit. In Houston that means a course that’s a tribute to NASA as the chefs ponder what the moon tastes like.
We asked Josep Roca about the tour and Houston. Here’s how he responded, via translator:
Q: Welcome back to Houston. What do you want to see/do/taste that you weren’t able to last year when you were here?
A: We would love to visit the NASA Space Center. We really wanted to go last year, but we were not able to make it happen.
Q: Was there a highlight you recall from last year’s visit to Houston?
A: The wine list at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, which was splendid. We had a party with the entire team there, and the food was also very good.
Q: I see you are tailoring your menus in each city to reflect the flavor of the city. What will “A Que Sabe Luna, Houston?” mean in terms of food?
A: “¿A qué sabe la luna, Houston?” (What does the moon taste like, Houston?) is a tribute to the moon, given that the NASA Space Center is located in Houston. We have imagined what the moon would taste like. The dish comprises two half-spheres, one half being dark with a truffle flavor and the other half being light-colored and containing tartufo bianco, adding a gaseous touch.
As for Texas, we have prepared a new version of our barbecue fritter, as well as an entire new menu which is different from last year’s. No dish has been repeated from last year.
Q: Since last year, you recaptured your position as the world’s No. 1 restaurant. Tell us what that feels like and how you and your staff got back on top.
A: We are not obsessed with rankings since they do not take into account many nuances and details, which are important. Having said that, it was a tremendous joy for us because we did not expect it. We were particularly happy for our team. They are the best, and they deserve this recognition. El Celler de Can Roca isn’t only about three brothers, but about the nearly 70 people who work hard to serve our 50 diners.
Q: Last year’s inaugural Roca Tour was unique. What did you learn during your travels about the food communities in the cities you visited and how food is such a universal bonding experience?
A: Last year, we learned that it is very interesting to get out of our comfort zone in order to realize that in fact we do not know anything, and that we still have a lot to learn. We also discovered that these kinds of challenges are very important for group cohesion.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish on the tour this year?
A: Our goals are to find sources of inspiration and knowledge, to do a great deal of listening, and to learn from new places and cultures, such as Argentina and Turkey. We were really looking forward to embarking on this tour again.
Q: How did you keep up your energy during last year’s tour?
A: The experience from last year’s tour has allowed us to approach this second tour with some important lessons learned. This year we are only offering dinner services (last year we also offered lunch services in certain cities), and we have established the right number of menus we will be able to offer at each event. In addition, we have reduced the number of media appearances so we can get some rest once in a while. The truth is this second tour has been smooth sailing so far.