Juli Soler, who co-ran the internationally acclaimed restaurant El Bulli and discovered top chef Ferran Adrià, died July 6 at his home in Rubí, near Barcelona. He was 66.
Adrià announced the death on Twitter. Mr. Soler had a degenerative neurological disease, according to Spanish news media.
El Bulli — the name means Bulldog — was at Montjoi cove in northeastern Spain and was closed in 2011 to start the Bulli Foundation, a food research center. On arriving in 1981, Mr. Soler became an essential figure in what became one of the world’s most influential restaurants, known for daring experimentation in cuisine.
Alongside Adrià, whom he signed up in 1984, Mr. Soler revolutionized diners’ experiences. Dishes featured foams and other innovations. A famous offering was chicken curry in which the chicken was presented in liquid form and the sauce was a solid.
El Bulli maintained the almost unattainable Michelin three-star status for more than a decade. It was rated the world’s best restaurant five times by the Restaurant, a British magazine.
Juli Soler Lobo was born in Terrassa, in northeastern Spain, on May 31, 1949. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.
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