Ferran Adria, seen here at a Tokyo food summit in 2009, will close his famed Spanish restaurant el Bulli in 2012 and 2013. (Shizuo Kambayashi/Associated Press)

Citing a need to recharge and reinvent, world renowned chef Ferran Adria announced this week his plan to temporarily close his famed el Bulli restaurant in 2012.

Adria is the grand wizard of the molecular gastronomy movement that introduced seemingly magical, boundary-stretching, food-transforming techniques to the restaurant table and brought foams, atomized liquids, freeze-dried or similarly unusually prepared concoctions to the forefront.

On Tuesday, at a press conference held during a noted Spanish culinary event, Adria unveiled his plan to close el Bulli in 2012 and 2013.

"With a format like the current one, it is impossible to keep creating," he told the assembled reporters.

In an interview, Adria tries to explain his rationale for the sabbatical, during which he will spend some time teaching cooking science courses at Harvard University.

The move to take an extended break is an interesting one because Adria is one of those chefs who push the boundaries of gastronomy beyond producing sustenance into consumable art.

It's also nice to know that even superchefs like Adria can somewhat be just like us regular home cooks who, at times, feel lacklustre or uninspired in the kitchen.

What do you do when your cooking or eating becomes tired or routine?