Ferran Adria

Ferran Adrià revolutionized gastronomy by running elBulli in coastal Catalonia for 25 years, spending four days weekly in his Barcelona laboratory to invent techniques like spherification, gelification, and deconstruction. Named TIME Magazine's most influential person in 2004—a first for any chef—he became the first to appear at the Documenta art exhibition in Kassel. His innovations inspired over 80% of modernist kitchen techniques used globally, far exceeding the impact of #4 Paul Bocuse's nouvelle cuisine reforms.