Interview with Javier Serra

We hope you enjoy this interview with Javier Serra. The interview is in Spanish, but we've provided English subtitles for you.

Lumus Maxima

The lighting team (Jordi & Victor) don't stop. We paid one of our last visits of the year to Philips today, as we are getting ready to program the lighting protocol for the automatic control system.

Today's acquisitions included a 7W LED bulb for our workstation lamp and 3 LED candles.

The 7W LED bulb caught my attention from the beginning. Its lumen flow is equivalent to that of a 40W tungsten bulb and it doesn't get hot. It also has a life of 45000 hours (45 times that of a common bulb!) and it still projects warm white light (3100K). And here's the best thing: when you buy it, it's already set to replace any ordinary bulb (unscrew the old one, screw in your new MasterLED). The only thing I am not happy about is that it is a bit heavy for its size. Still, I am simply amazed at how easy it can be to start saving energy. It's all about the small changes you make...

TeamSPAIN

A luxurious Made in Spain dinner with the masterful touch of Chef José Andrés.

You are cordially invited to dine with two Decathletes from our team on the 9th and 12th of October, and to participate in the Home Entertainment portion of the Solar Decathlon 2009 competition. TeamSPAIN will be serving a very special, “finger-licking good” dinner in the Black&White House. From day one, we have wanted to organize something unique and surprising for this particular evening. This year, we are honoured to have chef José Andrés as our official patron and culinary advisor working with TeamSpain..

José is a world-renowned chef who is known as the “unofficial Spanish ambassador” to the United States. His business, the THINKfoodGROUP, operates some of the most popular restaurants in Washington, D.C.; the Jaleo restaurant was the first to introduce “tapas”-style dining to the U.S. José Andrés also supervises the specialties at Café Atlántico, which serves Latin American inspired cuisine, Zaytinya, which serves a fusion of Greek and Turkish food, Oyamel, serving traditional Mexican foods, and the minibar by josé andrés, which serves the chef’s specialties in an intimate setting.

Here in Spain, he is known as the host of the TVE program Let’s Cook. In the U.S., he is the host and producer of José Made in Spain, a 26-episode PBS television series that focuses on the food and culture of Spain. Throughout his expansive career, he has received numerous awards and has appeared in various media outlets.

What’s more, we’ve got the invaluable support of Rubén García, José Andrés’ right-hand man. Rubén provides menu suggestions, quality control, and works with promotions and events.

The menu that José has created for us will combine traditional Spanish culinary art with the innovation of the nouvelle cuisine. It will hint at typical American cuisine and also the unique tastes of chef Ferrán Adriá, who was José’s mentor. We are certain that the food will please even the most discerning of palates, and that you will find the evening most enjoyable. We’ve designed this special menu for you, our future dinner party guests, so that you may get a sneak peek at the evening’s offerings and learn about the nutritional information and ingredients of the dishes you will soon enjoy.

And what of the recipes? For now, we’re keeping those a secret, but we can assure you it's going to be something unforgettable for every one!