New Ferran Adrià Concept to Open in Turin This Summer

On April 12, the new Lavazza headquarters, Nuvola Lavazza, opened in the Aurora neighborhood in Turin, Italy. In addition to housing new Lavazza offices, a convention center, museum, preserved fourth-century Christian basilica, and more, the sprawling, modern space will also feature a major food attraction: a new restaurant concept from El Bulli alum Ferran Adrià.

Condividere, designed by Oscar-winner Dante Ferretti and developed in collaboration with Adrià and Italian chef Federico Zanasi, will open to the public on June 8.

"It's an act of faith towards the future in a world that is so weird like today's world, and today's future is Federico," said Adrià on Thursday at the opening of Nuvola Lavazza. "We wanted to bring something new to Italian gastronomy—a gastronomy that has already offered thousands of ideas. It was going to be difficult. Opening a restaurant is the most difficult thing to do in the world."

While the legendary El Bulli, located on Spain's Costa Brava, served its last meal in July 2011, its legacy remains as relevant as ever. Adrià collaborated with Zanasi to imagine a contemporary Italian cuisine that was rooted in tradition yet still surprising—though certainly not as boundary-pushing as what you might find at El Bulli. Condividere, which means "to share" in Italian, will have no tasting menus, Adrià insisted, as the whole point is sharing. The concept, while simple, is somewhat ambitious, as pastas and Italian food is not traditionally served in a manner that's conducive to sharing, Zanasi said.

"We thought of Sunday dinner with the family," Zanasi said of designing the menu. "Each dish will have a story to tell. We started from Ancient Rome and went to present day."

Nuvola Lavazza also houses Bistrot, the company’s café that is also open to the public. The company developed Bistrot with the help of Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini, or “the voice of Piedmont,” as Giuseppe Lavazza put it in a statement. Bistrot's culinary sensibility will be rooted firmly in Petrini's “short supply chain” philosophy.

"'Condividere' means 'sharing.' We wanted to give people food for thought," Adrià said. "There are many good restaurants, but so many of them have no philosophy behind what they do. A restaurant is a language, that customers can live and experience."