Joan Roca is the eldest of the three Roca brothers who run El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Catalonia, one of the defining fine-dining restaurants of the past forty years. Born in Girona in 1964, Joan is the head chef in charge of savoury dishes; his brother Josep (born 1966) is the sommelier, and Jordi (born 1978) is the pastry chef. The three describe themselves as an equilateral triangle covering the three sides of gastronomy. 2026 marks El Celler de Can Roca’s 40th anniversary since opening in 1986.
El Celler de Can Roca holds three Michelin stars, retained in the 2026 Michelin Guide Spain, and was named The World’s Best Restaurant in 2013 and 2015 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The restaurant sits in the Best of the Best category at 50 Best, having retired from the competitive list after its second No. 1 ranking. Josep Roca was named World’s Best Sommelier 2022, and Jordi Roca was named World’s Best Pastry Chef 2014. All three brothers were named UN Goodwill Ambassadors for Sustainable Development in 2016 and received the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 2015.
TL;DR
- Catalan-Spanish chef born 1964 in Girona, Catalonia
- Head chef and co-owner of El Celler de Can Roca (opened 1986; moved to current building 2007)
- Three Michelin stars since 2009, retained 2026 (40th anniversary)
- World’s Best Restaurant 2013 and 2015 (The World’s 50 Best Restaurants)
- UN Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development (2016)
Joan Roca key facts
| Born | 1964, Girona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Nationality | Catalan-Spanish |
| Main restaurant | El Celler de Can Roca, Carrer de Can Sunyer 48, Girona |
| Michelin stars | Three at El Celler de Can Roca since 2009, retained 2026 |
| Style | Modern Catalan; molecular gastronomy; low-temperature sous-vide; seasonal local ingredients |
| Training | Escola d’Hostaleria de Girona; Georges Blanc (Vonnas); El Bulli (Ferran Adrià) |
| Other ventures | Esperit Roca (Girona); Roca Moo and Roca Bar (Hotel Omm, Barcelona); Rocambolesc ice cream |
Early life and training of Joan Roca
Joan Roca was born in 1964 in Girona and grew up above Can Roca, the traditional Catalan bar-restaurant his parents Josep Roca Pont and Montserrat Fontané opened in 1967 in the working-class Taialà district on the outskirts of Girona. His earliest cooking memories are with his mother in the family kitchen. His grandmother Angeleta was an equally formative influence. His middle brother Josep was born in 1966 and his youngest brother Jordi was born in 1978, twelve years younger than Josep.
Joan trained at the Escola d’Hostaleria de Girona, the city’s hospitality school, and then worked at Georges Blanc in Vonnas in France, one of the three-Michelin-star classical French restaurants of the period. He also spent formative time at Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli during the restaurant’s avant-garde rise in the 1990s. That combination (classical French technique plus elBulli experimental philosophy) shaped his signature mix of tradition and modernity at El Celler de Can Roca.
In 1986, at age 22, Joan opened El Celler de Can Roca next door to the family restaurant with his 20-year-old brother Josep as co-founder. The restaurant was small, with an ill-suited space, a modest kitchen, and second-hand furniture. Jordi joined in 1999 after completing his own training at the Girona hospitality school. In 2007 the restaurant moved to its current purpose-built building about 100 metres from the original location; the old premises remain in use for staff meals, where Montserrat Fontané still cooks each day.
Joan Roca career timeline
- 1964: Born in Girona
- 1967: Parents Josep Roca Pont and Montserrat Fontané open Can Roca in Taialà, Girona
- 1980s: Trains at the Escola d’Hostaleria de Girona; stages at Georges Blanc (Vonnas) and El Bulli (Ferran Adrià)
- 1986: Opens El Celler de Can Roca with brother Josep next door to the family restaurant
- 1995: First Michelin star
- 1999: Jordi Roca joins as pastry chef
- 2000: Best Chef of the Year, Spanish Academy of Gastronomy
- 2002: Second Michelin star
- 2006: El Celler de Can Roca enters The World’s 50 Best Restaurants at No. 21
- 2007: Moves to current purpose-built building with a large modern kitchen and glass-and-birch dining room
- 2009: Third Michelin star; ranked No. 5 on The World’s 50 Best
- 2010: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Girona
- 2011-2012: No. 2 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
- 2013: Named The World’s Best Restaurant by The World’s 50 Best
- 2014: Jordi named World’s Best Pastry Chef; Roca & Roll world tour
- 2015: Named The World’s Best Restaurant for the second time; Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts; Joan ranked in top ten chefs worldwide by Le Chef
- 2016: Roca brothers named UN Goodwill Ambassadors for Sustainable Development
- 2022: Josep named World’s Best Sommelier by The World’s 50 Best
- Recent years: El Celler de Can Roca sits in the Best of the Best category at 50 Best
- 2026: 40th anniversary of El Celler de Can Roca; three Michelin stars retained
Joan Roca signature style: Catalan tradition meets low-temperature modernity
Joan Roca’s cuisine is rooted in Catalan tradition, then reinterpreted through precise modern technique. His most widely cited contribution to contemporary cooking is low-temperature vacuum-controlled (sous-vide) cooking, which he has developed from the early 1990s into a foundational technique of 21st-century fine dining. His 2005 book Sous-Vide Cuisine and his work with his brothers on pairing food with wine and perfume have become reference material for professional chefs globally.
The restaurant’s working method is built around the equilateral triangle of the three brothers. Joan leads the savoury courses and the kitchen of around 30 chefs. Josep runs the dining room and the cellar of 60,000 wine bottles, and develops homemade beverages and wine pairings. Jordi handles desserts and the distinct register of Rocambolesc, the family’s ice-cream brand. In parallel, Joan leads La Masia, the research, innovation, training and creativity centre where new dishes are developed across a long creative cycle.
The dining room architecture is deliberate: a triangular glass-and-metal core with a birch plantation at its heart, surrounded by simply dressed tables. Three stones on each table signify the three brothers. Tableware is Rosenthal. A typical menu runs through spectacular small appetisers (homage to the restaurant’s emblematic dishes), followed by up to 14 savoury courses, four desserts and a final chocolate wheel. The work is consistently described as a spiral of sensations across sight, smell, taste and memory.
Notable dishes at El Celler de Can Roca
Several El Celler de Can Roca dishes have become reference points in contemporary Catalan and global cuisine. The caramelised olives served on a small bonsai tree are the restaurant’s most recognisable opening provocation. Growing Up in a Bar presents a cardboard cut-out of the family tavern with paper figurines of the brothers and snacks representing their childhood, served in the middle of the menu. The World is an edible journey through the travels the brothers have made together, with bites representing different countries. Perfume-based dishes translate specific fragrances into courses through Josep’s wine-pairing work. Espardenyes (sea cucumber) with pork feet is a Catalan-classical reinterpretation signature. Suckling pig cooked sous-vide with papaya, green apple and coriander tacos is one of Joan’s signature main-course expressions. Jordi’s Whisky à la Pie and elaborate chocolate desserts close each menu.
Joan Roca awards and recognition
- 1995: First Michelin star at El Celler de Can Roca
- 2000: Best Chef of the Year, Spanish Academy of Gastronomy
- 2002: Second Michelin star
- 2009: Third Michelin star
- 2010: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Girona
- 2012: Grand Prix of the Art of Gastronomy (International Academy of Gastronomy)
- 2013: The World’s Best Restaurant (The World’s 50 Best Restaurants)
- 2015: The World’s Best Restaurant (second time); Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts
- 2016: Roca brothers named UN Goodwill Ambassadors for Sustainable Development
- 2018: The Best Chef in the World (The Best Chef Awards)
- 2022: Josep Roca named World’s Best Sommelier (The World’s 50 Best)
- 2014: Jordi Roca named World’s Best Pastry Chef (The World’s 50 Best)
- 2026: Three Michelin stars retained; 40th anniversary
Joan Roca impact on modern gastronomy
Joan Roca’s most concrete contribution is the development and systematisation of low-temperature vacuum-controlled cooking as a foundational 21st-century technique. His 2005 book Sous-Vide Cuisine helped move the method from scientific kitchens into restaurants globally, and he has taught variants of the technique through the Harvard Science and Cooking programme and at universities across Europe. His brother Josep’s wine-pairing work and perfume-based dishes, and Jordi’s chocolate and ice-cream innovations, have extended the family’s influence across every discipline in a fine-dining restaurant.
The second contribution is the sustainable restaurant model the Roca brothers have developed and evangelised through their UN Goodwill Ambassador roles since 2016. The family restaurant uses local Catalan ingredients, runs an active environmental programme through the Roca Group foundation, and has implemented work-life balance measures that are unusual at the three-star level (a four-day working week was introduced in 2022). Joan’s son Marc and Josep’s son Martí have both chosen cooking as their careers, and the brothers have signalled they want the family legend to continue through the next generation.
Within the current Spanish three-star generation he sits alongside Dabiz Muñoz at DiverXO in Madrid, Quique Dacosta in Dénia, and Ángel León at Aponiente in Cádiz. His international peers of the same generation include Alain Passard at Arpège in Paris (whose vegetable-first philosophy parallels the Roca attention to Catalan produce) and the post-elBulli international network of chefs Joan helped train.
Joan Roca FAQ
How many Michelin stars does El Celler de Can Roca have?
Three Michelin stars, held continuously since 2009 and retained in the 2026 Michelin Guide Spain. The restaurant earned its first star in 1995 and its second in 2002, and has never held more or fewer than three since the 2009 promotion.
Where is El Celler de Can Roca?
At Carrer de Can Sunyer 48 in Girona, Catalonia, about one hour north of Barcelona. The restaurant moved to this purpose-built building in late 2007, about 100 metres from the original 1986 location next to the family tavern Can Roca.
Who are the three Roca brothers?
Joan Roca (born 1964) is the eldest and head chef; Josep Roca (born 1966) is the middle brother and sommelier; Jordi Roca (born 1978) is the youngest and pastry chef. They describe themselves as an equilateral triangle covering the three sides of gastronomy. Josep was named World’s Best Sommelier in 2022 and Jordi was named World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2014.
Has El Celler de Can Roca been named the best in the world?
Yes, twice. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants named El Celler de Can Roca The World’s Best Restaurant in 2013 and again in 2015. The restaurant now sits in the Best of the Best category, having retired from the competitive list after its second No. 1 ranking, together with Noma, The Fat Duck and a small number of other former No. 1 restaurants.
When did El Celler de Can Roca open?
In 1986, opened by 22-year-old Joan and 20-year-old Josep next to their parents’ traditional Catalan restaurant Can Roca in the Taialà district of Girona. Jordi joined in 1999. The restaurant moved to its current purpose-built location in 2007. 2026 marks the restaurant’s 40th anniversary.
What is next for Joan Roca
2026 is the 40th anniversary year for El Celler de Can Roca. The brothers have continued to run Esperit Roca (their Girona gastronomic destination), Roca Moo and Roca Bar at Hotel Omm in Barcelona, the Rocambolesc ice-cream brand, and the Roca & Roll touring events that have taken the restaurant to cities around the world. Joan’s research centre La Masia continues to develop new dishes. His public Instagram (@joanrocacanroca) is the best source for current updates.
