Josep Bullich dies, historic chef of El Reno, El Agut del Avinyó, Via Veneto or La Dama

BarcelonaChef Josep Bullich has passed away in Barcelona at the age of 78. Born in Oliana (Alt Urgell) in 1948, he is a key figure in understanding the leap in gastronomic quality experienced in Barcelona, as he worked in the kitchens of some of the city's most renowned restaurants: the seafood restaurant Carballeira, El Reno, Agut d'Avinyó, Via Veneto, or, at the end of his career, at the restaurant La Dama. In fact, it was thanks to him that Ramon Cabau obtained the Michelin star for his popular restaurant Agut d'Avinyó, where they served, among other dishes, cold soups and seasonal produce. He was also at Via Veneto when it obtained the star in 1974, an award that the establishment on Ganduixer street still defends.

He started very young, at 15 years old, and by 19 he was already at the refined restaurant Reno, under the orders of Antoni Julià. He was also precocious when he took charge of the Hotel Gal·la Placídia at only 25 years old. Known for relating concepts from philosophy to his dishes, he applied principles of psychoesthetics to what he served. The idea was that the environment (crockery, service, presentation of the dish) had a correlation with the psychological state and predisposed one to enjoy a meal in a state of mental well-being. This level of refinement could be seen in all the places where he worked, especially in his later career, at the restaurant La Dama, located in the modernist Casa Sayrach on Diagonal Avenue, where he retired in December 2014.

In the image that the family has shared to announce his death, a phrase of his was reproduced as a last will: "We need people with skill to restore the splendor of Catalonia."