MOMENTS
The restaurant Motel, founded in 1961 by Josep Mercader, has been a focal point of Catalan gastronomy practically since it opened. Often described as the “sanctuary of Catalan cuisine”, or as the reputed American critic Colman Andrews wrote: “the cradle of modern Catalan cuisine”, Motel was the cherished restaurant of the writer Josep Pla, author of the book “El que hem menjat” (What we have eaten). It is not by chance that legendary avant garde restaurants such as El Bulli and El Celler de Can Roca have included dishes on their menus conceived as a homage to the cuisine of Motel. Josep Mercader promoted a cuisine with great innovations and contributions based on the country’s wealth of culinary tradition, always opting for regional cuisine and produce. His premature death in 1979 did not bring an end to the Motel project; thanks to the work of his son in law, Jaume Subirós, who has skilfully maintained the founding principles of the house whilst adapting them to modern times. With fifty years of experience, the cuisine of Motel remains faithful to its origins, constant commitment to both tradition and innovation, using quality products.
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Words serve to describe experiences, but pictures have an unquestionable evocative power. This is the pictorial history of the Motel, from 1940, when Josep Mercader was a mere apprentice, to 2010, with the establishment under Jaume Subirós’ brilliant guiding hand.
4/6/1961 THE MOTEL OPENS ITS DOORS
1940. Mercader with two colleagues, during his apprenticeship at the restaurant of the Portbou railway station. The scarcities of the post-war years led Mercader to the conclusion that if he wanted to get ahead in life he had to become a cook.
1963. In the background, on the left, Josep Mercader in the car park just after the opening of the Hotel Empordà. At the age of thirty-five, helped and encouraged by the Tognola brothers, Mercader set in motion the project of the Motel Empordà, into which he poured all his experience and enthusiasm.
A FRIEND: JOSEP PLA
1974. Inside the Motel, a number of photos recall the friendship between Josep Mercader and the Empordanese writer Josep Pla, such as this framed picture showing them in the company of Ramon Canet in Castellfollit de la Roca.
A “HAPPY FEW”
1975. From left to right, Josep Mercader, the maître Àngel Pairó and the chef Florenci Vergés, at the Hotel Empordà. Mercader began with a minimal structure in which the two men accompanying him in the photo played a leading role.
1976. From left to right, Florenci Vergés, Lluís Oriol and Josep Mercader examining products in the kitchen of the Motel.
MARKET PRODUCE AND NEW IDEAS
1978. Josep Mercader selecting lobsters fresh from the sea in Cadaqués. He put into practice an innovative cuisine without losing sight of the local tradition, based on the seasonal products he had closest to hand, which in the Empordà were of excellent quality.
1978. Josep Mercader at a farmer’s wife’s stall in the Figueres market, which is still held every Thursday. The founder of the Motel was a tireless worker who directed the establishment, was its manager and supervisor, worked in the kitchen and filled up the storeroom.
THE ADMIRATION OF THE CRITICS
1976. The writer and gastronome Nèstor Luján with his wife Tin and Josep Mercader in Cadaqués. Luján was captivated by Mercader’s game cuisine, and defined the restaurant as “the most varied and opulent of all the establishments offering game cuisine in Catalonia.”
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE MOTEL
1986. The team of the Motel, with Jaume Subirós and his young sons Albert and Jordi, at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Motel, seven years after the death of its founder. The event served as a tribute to Josep Mercader and the reaffirmation of the new phase in the Motel’s history.
IN ASIAN LANDS
1992. Jaume Subirós with Francesc Lloret and Florenci Vergés during their stay in Hong Kong. For many years Subirós, Lloret and Vergés have formed the core of the Motel’s kitchen team.
1995. Cappuccino of baby beans with mint that Ferran Adrià served in the mid-1990s at the restaurant El Bulli, his version of one of the Motel’s most emblematic offerings. With this recipe, inspired directly by Josep Mercader’s creation, Adrià paid tribute to him.
FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
2000.
Jaume Subirós with one of the historic groups of friends who meet for dinner at the Motel on the first Friday of every month. From left to right, Albert Rossich, Antoni Puigverd, Josep Maria Fonalleras, Miquel Berga and Salvador Sunyer.
A MODEL TEAM
2008. Exhibition on Jaume Subirós at the Palau Robert in Barcelona, within the series of exhibitions dedicated to Catalan chefs organised by the Culture Department of the Government of Catalonia.
Jaume Subirós with his son Albert in the hall of the Motel. Albert’s brother Jordi takes charge of the Hotel Almadraba in Roses. They have both received solid training, and it will be their job to administer the illustrious legacy of Josep Mercader and Jaume Subirós.
AN UNCHANGED CUISINE
2010. Following in the footsteps of Josep Mercader, Subirós is involved in all the areas of management of the restaurant.
STORIES OF THE MOTEL
