European Food Journal

A CulinAry Journeythrough europe

www.european-food-journal.com


A CulinAry Journeythrough europe

DeAr reADer,DeAr reADer,Six world-famous Michelin-starred chefs have taken us on a personal culinary journey through Europe. We kick off in Italy – where three-star chef and avant garde gastronome Massimo Bottura calls home. His restaurant in Modena is nothing short of an experimental laboratory where the future of Italian cuisine is bubbling merrily on top of the stove.

After this emotional rollercoaster we arrive in Budapest where Tamás Széll spirits us away to sample the culinary secrets of Hungary and explains why Hungary’s national dish is definitely not called ‘goulash’.

The next chef on our journey is the Swiss mushroom expert and rabbit meat ambassador, Thuri Maag, who is currently celebrating the comeback of ‘Chüngel’ in Swiss cuisine.

In Germany, we are welcomed by TV-chef Ralf Zacherl who is a big fan of regional cuisine.

At the Dutch border our journey really takes flight – literally. In the spectacular hot air balloon restaurant operated by the Dutch Michelin-starred chef Angélique Schmeinck.

Our next stop is France, where haute cuisine is undergoing a period of huge change. The initiator of this upheaval is the great three-star chef and revolutionary, Alain Ducasse, who is merging haute cuisine with the concept of ‘naturalness’.

All of the chefs we interviewed have also given us some valuable insider tips about the culinary secrets just waiting to be discovered throughout the European continent: Recipes, the best markets, national dishes and regional specialities. Join us on our culinary journey in the following pages and experience the colourful panoply that is European cuisine. Enjoy!

Your editorial team

pAge 9

pAge 25

pAge 39 pAge 49 pAge 60

pAge 74

the trip

Jeffrey BlAir CArtrett,

the future of gAstronomy: Boring or BlAsé no longer works


guest eDitoriAl By

Jeffrey BlAir CArtrett, ACADemiC DireCtor of the institut pAul BoCuse, frAnCe

the future of gAstronomy: Boring or BlAsé no longer works

About Jeffrey Blair Catrett Jeffrey Blair Catrett has been the Academic Director of the renowned Institut Paul Bocuse in Ecully, France, since 2012. The majestic French chef Paul Bocuse founded the Institut Paul Bocuse personally in 1990. It claims to be the ‘guaran-tor of French know-how internation-ally’ as regards culinary practices and hotel and restaurant manage-ment. With Mr. Catrett spearhead-ing the academic research area, the institute has an outstanding per-sonality who possesses 25 years’ experience and administration at some of the world’s most prestig-ious institutions. Before joining the Paul Bocuse Institute, Mr. Catrett was Dean of Kendall College in Chicago and the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. He has also successfully negotiated partnerships with elite academic and industry partners.


A subtle yet critically important

evolution is affecting today’s gas-

tronomy and foodservice. During

the last few decades, great culinary

talents worldwide have attracted

guests to their tables to discover the

excellence of first-class cuisine. Such

kitchen greats as Paul Bocuse have

generously shared their knowledge

and transmitted their expertise to

every corner of the globe. The creative

talent of the best gastronomic minds

has led customers to see chefs not as

competent craftsmen as they might

have 50 years ago, but rather as fine

artists very much front and center in

their restaurants. The chef led; the

people followed and appreciated.


Television food channels, Internet food

blogs, expert-based and crowd-sourced

criticism, advanced distribution supply

chains, democratized global travel: All have led

to a much greater understanding of and also

demand for good food. Whole generations of

customers worldwide are now savvy to quality

food, to a variety of cuisines, to restaurant con-

cepts and lifestyle designs, to exciting locations

from gastronomic citadels to the street.

Today’s educated customers are now reversing

the order of things and are driving the demand

for the types of food they want at the prices

they want to pay, at the times they want it and

in the places they want to eat it. The quirky

nature of Generation Y is matched by the in-

creasing, finicky necessity of the aging Baby

Boomers, and customer tastes are fragmenting

and multiplying.

The great variety of today’s lifestyles means

that chefs must now respond to demands for

healthy food sensitive to specific diets, to food

that respects environmental constraints, to

food that is fun to eat in casual or novel sur-

roundings, to authentic cuisines restructured,

to technological supports for service, to food

as part of a broader cultural panoply.

This new fragmentation of tastes seems to lead

often to a clash in wants and desires difficult to

resolve into a single offer. Food scandals and

environmental concerns push for local prod-

ucts and organic farming, while experience and

boredom demand the exotic and the global.

Awareness of waste encourages the use of

ugly and forgotten vegetables, while love of the

beautiful suggests ever-more refined plating

and science-based adventuring. Health issues

and allergies require healthier meals; uber-luxu-

ry (one-upping mass luxury) seeks ever greater

extremes.

Deeper knowledge demands the authentic,

yet over-exposure yearns for the revolutionary.

Technology enables efficiency in service and

production (food can be 3-D printed) and is

embraced by a new generation; the digital

world has given rise to a yearning for social

contact and a return to old institutions like the

table d’hôte.

There are, nevertheless, some discernable

directions for restaurateurs, hoteliers and ca-

terers. One size will no longer fit all. In a world

of fragmented tastes, differentiation is a neces-

sity. Quality is necessary at all levels. The old

trade-off between price and quality no longer

applies. Real crises have alerted the world to

real awareness of environment and health.

Whereas the public previously proclaimed their

interest in these issues while secretly wanting

excess when dining out, they are now part of

the mainstream.

Design and style (even the stylized search for

the revolutionary) are sine qua non. Boring or

blasé no longer works. People are less gullible

and less forgiving. Price gouging and inflation

for brands in place of real value for money will

no longer fly in most markets.

And most importantly, the chef and the estab-

lishment will find themselves less and less able

to dictate behaviours. Mealtimes, restaurant

types, dress codes, menus, pricing, ingredi-

ents, even the physical boundaries of the eating

space will more and more be defined by the

consumer.

In a world of increasingly savvy consumers

with largely fragmented tastes who are quickly

bored and ready to move on to the next offer,

the importance of creativity and innovation are

at an all-time premium, but service providers

must be ready to react to and even bow to

the whims of this new public.



About Agnès giboreau Agnès Giboreau is head manager of research at the Institut Paul Bocuse. She has a PhD in Food Science and an MSc in Cognitive Psychology. She instructs research supervision in Neurosciences and Cognition at the University of Lyon.Her research activity aims at better understanding the plea-sure of eating and its relation to health from both perceptual and behavioural perspectives. Projects focus on the meal experience in a multidisciplinary approach and rely on studies conducted in real situations. This is done through the unique facilities of the experimental restaurant, a Living Lab (labelled Enoll) where professional experts work together with scien-tists, contributing to food design and production as well as table design and service. The results are published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, and are communicated to the food service and hospitality sectors by training future professionals as well as specific cooperative programs.

Agnès giBoreAu,

the experimentAl restAurAnt

guest ArtiCle

Agnès giBoreAu, reseArCh DireCtor At the institute pAul BoCuse

the experimentAl restAurAnt


The research center conducts human-centered

investigations aimed at increasing our under-

standing of restaurant customers. Projects are

conducted in the Living Lab, an experimental

restaurant where diners book their meals, lunch

or dinner as in a commercial restaurant, paying

for their meal but agreeing to be part of experi-

ments while being filmed or asked questions.

These studies allow us to analyze various fac-

tors affecting consumer habits, choice and per-

ception in real contexts, which is a new trend

for consumer research. For instance, children’s

vegetable preferences have been studied in this

context with the conclusion that 7- to 11-year-

old, pre-adolescents prefer crunchy textures

(Morizet et al., 2011) – see the example on the

level of consumption for carrots.

This approach also allows us to study the emo-

tional state of diners in the restaurant as it is

influenced by the surrounding visual ambiance.

Five colour schemes (reference, red, blue,

white and green) were set up for one week

each at the experimental restaurant. The results

of this investigation show the effect of colour

on the emotional state of customers in the first

minutes after arriving at the restaurant, with

the red colour scheme leading to a more tense

emotional state. However, under all conditions,

guests experienced more positive feelings after

the meal: feelings of admiration, being pleas-

antly surprised and reassurance all increased

for all of the colour schemes tested.

In summary, taking context into account in con-

sumer research is important when evaluating the

effect both the food and the environment have in

terms of consumer satisfaction. Thus, the Living

Lab at the Institut Paul Bocuse is a powerful tool

that we can use to re-create a real-life situation

and help professionals to drive innovation in

a consumer-centered approach.

The center for food and hospitality research, Institut Paul Bocuse, studies

consumer eating behaviour mainly in relation to out-of-home consumption.

Three main components are important in understanding consumer behaviour:

habits (what food they usually consume, where, when, how), choice (what food

they choose in a restaurant, based on which criteria: price, quantity, label) and

perception (how much they like a food, for which sensory reasons: appearance,

texture, taste, aroma).


mAssimo BotturA,

“Don’t mess with the pope, soCCer or grAnDmother’s reCipes”

mAssimo BotturA, italian chef, who currently holds three michelin stars

“Don’t mess with the pope, soCCer or grAnDmother’s reCipes”

© P

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efJ: Mr. Bottura, let us accompany you on a

personal culinary journey of discovery around

Europe. Which European countries or cities do

you think serve the best food and drink?

massimo Bottura: I love travelling… but I do it

often for business and not enough for plea-

sure. Rarely do I have the chance to wander

a city on my own and discover it little by little.

I am usually visiting chef friends or an art gal-

lery or museum. Nonetheless, when I travel, I

Italians love food and pleasure. Italian chef Massimo Bottura, who currently

holds three Michelin stars, is hugely respectful of traditional food culture in

his home country. His grandmother’s recipes are revered like sacred texts. How-

ever, they can only survive if they continue to evolve, says the grand master of

avant-garde cuisine in an interview with European Food Journal. Just as a lemon

tart can be broken into pieces to make something new, art lover and music afi-

cionado Massimo Bottura believes he can transform – and save – traditional Ital-

ian cuisine.

always try to experience new cuisines and eat

at simple places to understand how people are

eating locally. Street food is a good indicator

of how healthy or rich the food economy is in a

city. Usually good street food leads to interest-

ing restaurants. It’s hard for me to say the cit-

ies where you can eat the best because I have

chef friends everywhere. When I am in Paris,

London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Amsterdam

or San Sebastian, I visit them – and therefore

have a very biased view. We talk, we eat, and

About massimo Bottura Massimo Bottura is an Italian chef from Modena with three Michelin stars to his name. He describes his close affinity with Italian cuisine by saying, “My bones are made of Par-migiano Reggiano, and balsamic vinegar rushes through my veins.” His hometown of Modena is also home to his restau-rants: Trattoria del Campazzo opened its doors to customers in 1986 and was joined by Osteria la Francescana in 1995. Bottura has even expanded beyond his Italian home. He now has an eponymous restaurant in Istanbul called Ristorante Italia di Massimo Bottura. The avant garde/traditional-style cuisine espoused by the Italian chef is known throughout the world and has been recognized with a long list of awards. Bottura won three Michelin stars in 2011. Just how much his international fans adore his work is shown in an award from Restaurant Magazine: Osteria La Francescana is placed third on a list of the 50 best restaurants in the world in 2014.

1962 Born in modena

1995 the famous

osteria francescana opened its

doors

2011 three

michelin stars for massimo

Bottura

2013 Ambassador

for food in the year of italian Culture in the united states

2014 osteria

francescana is voted third-best restaurant in the

world for the second time in a

row

© P

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Ter

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we share stories. I always ask them to choose

the dishes for me. Today you really can eat well

in so many places that have never been famous

for their food, such as Sweden or Holland. This

is due to a general awareness about the value

of good food and the importance of reviving

traditions and improving upon them. Some

people are nostalgic about the past. In my

opinion, we have never eaten as well in Europe

as we do today.

efJ: Where can the most beautiful traditional

markets be found?

massimo Bottura: Markets are everywhere if you

look. Paris has several market areas – each

with its own flavour. I love the shopping street

Rue Montorgueil as well as the new curated

Marché Saint-Martin. It all depends what you

are looking for. London’s Brick Lane near

Spitalfields is always fantastically colourful

with very delicious street food. Stockholm’s

covered market is small but charming and

specializes in herring and seafood. We had a

fabulous herring-based lunch there last March.

Amsterdam’s Bloemenmarkt flower market on

the barges is just a feast for the eyes. The one

I know and am most fond of is the beautiful

covered food market in Modena. On a Saturday

morning, I love to wander around the Albinelli

Mercato, a covered market from 1919, in the

center of the city beside the main square next

to our 11th century Romanesque church. Not

only do I have a chance to catch up with our

fruit and vegetable vendors, our fishmonger,

and other stalls in the market, but I always grab

a warm baccalà fritter from my friend Massimo

Manzini for an early aperativo or stop by Schi-

aoni Bar, where the Fantoni sisters

make a great cotechino and salsa

verde sandwich.

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Shopping in a market is about buying the

food but also about the buzz. We run into

friends and socialize and nibble while we

shop, which is so much more fun than pushing

around a cart in a supermarket.

efJ: In the European Union, we tend to speak of

Europe as uniting the regions. Do you see Eu-

rope in terms of culinary regions?

massimo Bottura: Each area of Europe has been

defined by its food culture, the landscape and

climate, as well as by the immigrants who have

settled there. The kitchen is a place for ex-

change and cultural collisions – even clashes.

Sometimes these clashes form the most inter-

esting flavours. Our kitchen is filled with young

chefs from all over the world and all over Italy.

Each individual is unique and brings with them

a food culture that adds to the diversity.

Are there distinct food regions? There are clear

food trends that I am seeing such as Nordic

cuisine, which is re-inventing itself with ideas

and ingredients once thought to be of little or

no value. Northern Europe, countries like Hol-

land, Brussels and Germany, are searching

for a deeper and more personal connection to

their kitchen after years of copying the French.

This is very exciting and groundbreaking. The

French are beginning to let down their hair

and their strict dining codes to make room for

more accessible dining establishments, which

is leading to a welcome twist on French tradi-

tions. Spain has led the way with innovation,

not only technique but new dining concepts,

for the past 15 years and now is reaching into

its rich past to bring forth Spanish traditions

that have been neglected over the years. Eng-

land, especially London, is playing host to so

many interesting restaurants and chefs. It has

become the food capital of Europe. Just think,

only 20 years ago, it was a food desert! And

Italy, well, there is always a good meal to be

found here, but today more than ever, there is

a group of young chefs who are pushing the

boundaries of Italian cuisine and finding new

ways to express the known and beloved fla-

vours of Italy from Piedmont in the north to the

deep south in Sicily.

efJ: Which European country has the best food

specialties, and what are they?

massimo Bottura: That is a very tricky question

to ask to an Italian. I feel fortunate to live and

work in Italy, where we have some of the most

incredible producers and products in the world.

There is no substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano.

We use several ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in

the restaurant from different local producers. It


is the most amazing cheese I have ever worked

with in the kitchen – and an integral part of our

terroir. Another irreplaceable product is tra-

ditional balsamic vinegar from Modena. Then

there is extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany or

Lake Garda, Liguria or Umbria, Calabria or Sic-

ily. Each has its own microclimate and person-

ality. All contribute to a healthy and flavourful

kitchen. Capers from southern Italy – Puglia,

Sicily and Pantelleria – are the base of many

sauces and the secret ingredient to many

recipes. Tomatoes from Naples, grown in the

soil enriched with volcanic ash from Vesuvius.

Citrus fruits: Sorrento lemons, Sicilian oranges,

Calabrian Bergamot lemons. Not to mention

the wines made all over Italy – from Friuli in the

far northeast to Pantelleria in the far southwest.

At the end of the day, any successful kitchen

begins with understanding the value of relation-

ships with artisans, cheese makers, butchers,

fishmongers, farmers, olive oil producers. They

are our heroes.

efJ: Slow food or fast food – which trend will

dominate in Europe in the future?

massimo Bottura: Modena is the land of slow

food and fast cars, but really not only Modena,

all of Europe. Think of all the cured meats be-

ing made artisanally, the handcrafted cheeses

and naturally leaven breads. All slow food. Then

think of Formula 1 race cars – built in Germany,

the UK and Italy. Modena alone produces Fer-

rari, Maserati and Lamborghini cars. Engineer-

ing and dreams of speed meet artisans, chefs

and farmers, who are redesigning our menus

and our palates to bring us back to our terroir.

The more we focus on terroir, on the amazing

resources we have been given by our ances-

tors, the more we are able to create recipes

with lasting value. Ethics and aesthetics go

hand in hand. Think about the power of slow

food and how it has changed a generation of

chefs. This is the trend for the next decade, not

fast food, and maybe forever. Someday instead

of chef superstars, there will be farmer super-

stars. That will be a great day indeed.

efJ: As a celebrity chef from Italy, you have a

special relationship with Italian cuisine. Can you

tell us about one of your favourite recipes from

Italy for our culinary journey?

massimo Bottura: My favourite Emilian dish is

tortellini.

I grew up under my grandmother’s table hiding

from my three older brothers. Nonna Ancella

was always making egg pasta and folding tor-

tellini for our large family. I not only

have an emotional attachment to tor-

tellini but a gastronomic one, as well.

© P

er A

nder

s Jo

rgen

sen

© T

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They are small packages of Emilian flavour,

perfectly balanced and complete. Tradi-

tionally they are served in capon broth. At

my restaurant Osteria Francescana, we serve

them in a Parmigiano Reggiano sauce made

without heavy cream but with water and emul-

sified Parmigiano Reggiano. We boil the tortel-

lini in capon broth so that they can acquire the

flavour of the broth, then dress them with the

parmesan cream. Delicious!

Of course there are other traditional dishes that

I serve at Osteria Francescana, modified and I

hope improved. Cotechino with lentils is a typi-

cal Emilian meal. Cotechino is a large sausage

that is boiled for hours. Instead of boiling it,

we steam it in Lambrusco. This not only helps

degrease the sausage but gives it a wonder-

ful flavour. I then prepare traditional egg pasta

ravioli and fill them with a mixture of cotechino

and lentils. This is a way of eating cotechino

365 days a year. It is flavourful but light.

efJ: How important is food culture in Italy?

What trends and traditions can you discern

here?

massimo Bottura: Food is everything to Italians.

Italian cuisine is internationally praised, but too

often gets stuck in the notion of grandma’s

kitchen. I don’t know exactly why, but people in

general do not want Italian cuisine to evolve.

I often say that in Italy, there are three things

you really don’t dare mess with: The Pope,

football (soccer) and your grandmother’s reci-

pes. 20 years ago we did take on those recipes

and traditions, and it’s been our great journey

to see if we can bring Italian cuisine into the

21st century. That is the trend in Italy right now.

We are preserving our past by making it more

contemporary – by letting it evolve. I know that

sounds like a contradiction, but it is not. What

is important to remember with Italian food is

that it should be light, healthy and seasonal.

efJ: Let’s talk about your restaurant Osteria

Francescana. Where is it located, and what

culinary highlights can your guests expect to

enjoy? What dining style do you follow?

massimo Bottura: Osteria Francescana is on a

small side street called Via Stella in the center

of medieval Modena. Every morning people

pass by to say hello, from the mayor to the

© P

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postman, and they often find me sweeping the

street in front of the restaurant or my wife fix-

ing the flowers pots at the entrance. We are the

first ones to care about where we live and work.

You make a first impression only once.

My kitchen can be defined as ‘Tradition in Evo-

lution’. I revisit traditional recipes and ideas and

make them contemporary. This is my specialty.

I try very hard to respect tradition, but also to

respect ingredients, heroic farmers, butchers

and fishermen. Sometimes I have to ask if our

traditions respect the ingredients, and if they

don’t, then it is time to rework them. ‘Tradition

in Evolution’ means bringing the best of the

past into the future. We have been working on

this idea for 20 years, and we may continue for

20 more. The more I look into the archives of

Italian cuisine, the more I find. That is why I am

always saying, “Come to Italy with me.” A chef

can describe his country better than anyone.

efJ: What about culinary clichés? Are pizza and

pasta still the Italian national dishes, or have

the nation’s favourite dishes undergone a mod-

ern ‘update’?

massimo Bottura: Italy is known for its pizza and

spaghetti abroad. These are foods Italians eat

regularly, but I wouldn’t say they are national

dishes. Each region of Italy has its specialties.

In Liguria, the Genovese eat pasta with pesto.

In Sicily they use almonds and mint in many

of their dishes, and the regional dish is actu-

ally couscous, harking back to the Moors who

invaded the island centuries ago. The Emil-

ians make hand-rolled egg pasta and serve

it with various ragus and seasonal sauces.

Rome is famed for its carbonara – egg and ba-

con – recipe as well as cacio e pepe – cheese

and pepper – sauce. In Piedmont they make

tortellini called plin with a braised meat sauce.

Pizza and spaghetti populate mass culture and

a mass culture idea of Italy, but these dishes

don’t make up the daily diet in Italy.

Actually the widespread love of Italian food has

made it more difficult to get my ideas across.

Italian cuisine is so loved and adored that no

one wants to let it evolve and change. This is a

problem for a contemporary chef who is influ-

enced by music, art and the cross-pollination of

ideas. It has been very hard for me to move Ital-

ian cuisine forward in Italy, and after all these

years, nearly 20, with three Michelin stars, there

are still people who are sceptical about what

we are doing. Reading my new book cover to

cover, you can get a new perspective on Ital-

ian cuisine, at times seen from under the table

or upside down, but really, the cookbook is all

about Italy and my love for my country, its in-

gredients and its traditions.


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DeliCiousGourmet Recipesoops! i DroppeD the lemon tArt

lemongrass gelato: 200 g whole milk50 g double (heavy) cream3 stems lemongrass30 g sugar40 g sugar syrupGrated zest of 1 lemon10 drops Villa Manodori Essenziale lemon oil

Process the ingredients in a thermal mixer and bring them to 85°C (185°F) at full speed. When it reaches temperature, remove and strain the liquid. Let cool in a bowl over ice. Freeze in a Pacojet container and process just before serving.

tart crust: 40 g cold butter20 g icing (confectioners’) sugar1 egg yolk50 g flour2 g ground spices (a mixture of star anise, cinna-

mon, juniper, pepper and cardamom)

In a bowl, knead together the cold butter and sugar by hand. Add the egg yolk and flour, and knead thorough-ly until smooth. Let rest for 2 hours in the fridge. Roll out the dough on a silicone baking mat until it is 2 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Use it to line moulds with the diame-ter of 8 cm (3 ¼ inches) at the base and 6 cm (2 ½ inches) at the top to obtain the shape. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 8 minutes.

mint sauce: 50 g fresh peppermint leaves20 g mineral water6 g Xylitol0.5 g mint essential oil

Bring a pan of water to a boil and blanch the mint in it for 10 seconds, then cool in iced water. Blend the mint thoroughly with the other ingredients, making sure the temperature does not go above 35°C (95°F). Pass it through a fine sieve.

Gourmet Recipes


Zabaglione: 85 g egg yolk50 g sugar80 g lemon juice80 g Amalfi limoncello

Prepare a pan of boiling water and a heatproof bowl the right size to sit over it without touching the water. Whisk the egg yolk and sugar in the bowl with the hand whisk, off the heat. When the sugar has dissol-ved well, set the bowl over the pan of boiling water and continue beating vigorously. As soon as the eggs are warm and before they start to thicken, add the lemon juice and limoncello gradually, pouring them very slowly, while continuing to whisk energetically. When it is well whisked and frothy, with a creamy texture, it is ready to be served.

oops! i DroppeD the lemon tArt

lemon powder: 1 lemon

Wash the lemon, cut it into thin slices and remove the pips (pits). Put the slices in a dehydrator at 30°C (86°F) for 5 days. Process in a thermal mixer and pass the powder through a fine sieve.

to serve: 4 g candied lemon (rind and pulp)2 g candied bergamot1 g candied ginger1 g lemon powder1 g capers

Arrange the ingredients on the plate. Splash the plate with the zabaglione and add a quenelle of lemongrass gelato in the center. Place the tart crust on top of the gelato, then gently crush it before serving.


massimo Bottura’s new cookbook ‘never trust a skinny italian Chef’ – review

things Are steAming, siZZling AnD BuBBling in the moDenA lABThe contrast could not be starker: With its impressive burgundy binding emblazoned with gold letters, it looks more like a scientific treatise written by a respected interna-tional economist towards the end of the 19th century than a cookbook. When you open the book, however, the impression is entirely different: an emotional fireworks display of astonishing images – garnished with recipes boasting unusual sounding names like ‘Hunting the Pigeon,’ ‘Pollution’ and ‘Tribute to the Monk’. And take a good look at the cappuccino in the cup – is that really cappuccino as we know and love it?

The illustrations. It is hard to express in words exactly what we are seeing here. The pictures have the same physical effect as

an elevator rocketing upwards only to hurtle down again, giving you a sense of weightlessness. A black and white portrait of

the well-known Italian top chef, Massimo Bottura, in which he is covering his eyes with hen’s eggs. The work in the kitchen:

billowing steam, heavy pans on the gas cooker, bustling activity in the background, laughter. On the next page, a large, lem-

on-yellow image that looks like a piece of coral. Is that an Italian recipe? Confusion and disgust are the emotions elicited by

the image of a decapitated pig’s head and black bin bags tied with string on the street next to it. A book with the title ‘L’Arte

di Mangiar bene’ published in 1891 is pictured next to the CD album cover of ‘New York’ by Lou Reed. Massimo Bottura, the

man with the beard from Modena, even devotes a double-page spread to honouring the great Italian cheese Parmigiano Reg-

giano in his new cookbook ‘Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef’.

We may not be able to see all the way into Massimo Bottura’s Italian soul, but we do learn a lot about him, his life and the

things he thinks are important. First and foremost, among these is the essence of Italian cuisine, which he wants to keep by

changing it. It is an ongoing experiment that he introduces to us in his highly autobiographical, emotionally charged new work.

“Come to Italy with me,” he calls to us and stretches out his hand. Accept his invitation and you will see Italy from a different

perspective and, by the end, perhaps understand what Picasso and hare’s blood have in common.

Massimo Bottura: Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef, Phaidon, London / New York 2014, 296 pp. – www.phaidon.com

www.european-food-journal.com www.european-food-journal.com

proDuCts! pAstA & CompAny s.r.l.

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putting itAliAn BisCuits on the mApputting itAliAn BisCuits on the mApSweet and crunchy Cantuccini are the perfect accompaniment to coffee but are

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made the traditional way

Corsini’s Tuscan cantuccini are made ac-

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down through generations of the Corsini

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niques and an emphasis on authenticity.

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One of the most successful products to

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traditional tuscan specialities are also on the menu

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the signature cake of tuscany

Another classic Tuscan sweet is panforte.

This densely rich cake made with honey

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Corsini BisCotti srl

Via Cellane, 958033 Catel Del Piano-Monte Amiata (GR)Italy

+39 0564 956787 +39 0564 956615

[email protected] www.corsinibiscotti.com

Marmellate Quarenghi was founded in 1914, it has along history founded on quality and on

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CERTIFICATIONSHACCP SYSTEMKOSHER FOODS


tAmás sZéll,

“it’s not A Joy for us when tourists Ask for ‘goulAsh’”

tAmás sZéll, hungary’s trendiest and best-known chef, gives short shrift to clichés about hungarian cuisine

“it’s not A Joy for us when tourists Ask for ‘goulAsh’”


it’s gulyás!it’s gulyás!


efJ: Mr Széll, let us accompany you on a per-

sonal culinary journey of discovery around

Europe. Which European countries, cities and

regions do you think serve the best food and

drink?

tamás széll: I don’t think I could name any one

place. Every place I’ve been, I’ve liked for dif-

ferent reasons. The gastronomic uniqueness of

each location should be taken seriously. Those

who do so are cleverer. Their foods are better.

They concentrate on regionality, on tourism.

Lyon is different from Paris, which is different

from Copenhagen, Munich, Milan and so on.

Tamás Széll, Hungary’s trendiest and best-known chef, gives short shrift

to clichés about Hungarian cuisine. He can get quite irate when tourists in

Hungary ask for ‘goulash’. The Hungarian specialty is not called ‘goulash’

but ‘gulyás’, he says. And gulyás is not a stew, but a soup!

efJ: But perhaps you have a personal

favourite?

tamás széll: If I had to name an absolute favour-

ite, then it would be Cape Town in South Africa.

I encountered an incredible gastro and wine

culture there, and that was over ten years ago.

They live in a completely different world and

are doing just fine with domestic tourism. They

weren’t so interested in what was happening

in Europe. They are proud of their local ingre-

dients. I tasted countless varieties of gazelle,

antelope and lamb – and they were all prepared

well!

About tamás széllTamás Széll is a young and successful, Michelin-starred chef from Hungary, who cooks his amaz-ing dishes in the popular Onyx restaurant in the heart of Budapest. In terms of success and fame, 2011 was a standout year for Tamás Széll, that really put him on the map. In March, he won a Michelin star for his cooking skills in the Onyx restaurant in Budapest, and in the autumn he won the Hungarian final of the prestigious cook-ing competition Bocuse d’Or. Two years later, the Budapest native won tenth place in the Bocuse d’Or world final held in Lyon. In Hungary, too, he has won numerous awards: In 2008 and 2010, he walked off with first place in the competition. ‘Hagyomány és Evolúció’ (Tradition and Evolution). This is one of the leading gastronomic competi-tions in Hungary.

1982 Born in

Budapest

2003 winner of

the hungarian food competition

Chaîne des rôtisseurs, Budapest

2010 winner for

the second time of the hungarian food competition

‘hagyomány és evolúció’

2011 winner of a

michelin star for his cooking

skills in the onyx restaurant, Budapest

2013 placed tenth

at the prestigious Bocuse d’or

competition in lyon


It is interesting that despite being surrounded

by three oceans, they prefer four-legged and

winged creatures over seafood. Even then,

you could have showered them with a fistful of

Michelin stars. And if my information is correct,

they have neither Michelin nor Gault & Millau

publications. As far as I know!

efJ: Where can the most beautiful traditional

markets be found?

tamás széll: There are numerous such markets,

and everywhere there is something that at-

tracts chefs. The Fény Street market is where

the wishes and desires of chefs are most likely

to meet with those of similarly serendipitous

and driven growers of unique produce. But

what foreign visitors are most curious about is

Budapest Market Hall, the Vásárcsarnok. It is

the biggest market and the most beautiful. The

building is one of a kind, and the location pro-

vides a splendid view of the city. Downstairs is

the market itself; upstairs are small eateries and


pubs. It is a popular place among Hungarians,

as well.

Unfortunately, restaurant store rooms and re-

frigerators cannot be stocked from there.




tamás széll: Nothing differentiates regions

around the world more than gastronomy.

Of course there are thousands of dishes, or

styles of dishes, whose origins are debated to

this day. But even so, a tiny country such as

Hungary is an absolute, clearly defined culi-

nary region. Concerning this country’s culinary

region alone, we could write volumes – about

both the bad, ingrained customs and the world-

famous, authentic traditions!

efJ: Which European country has the

best food specialties, and what are they?


tamás széll: It would be a luxury, coming

from me, if I were to name an absolute

favourite. I am open to and curious about

everything. Breathing in everything is what I live

for. Of course it does happen that occasionally

I suck in bad smells as well…

It’s my job to think clearly; for this, I get con-

stant inspiration by acquiring gastronomic ex-

periences.

I couldn’t say that a Noma dish is any more a

favourite than one tasted in Troisgros. They are

completely different, and yet both are brilliant.

But isn’t that the point of gastronomic regions?



tamás széll: Both of them have their place;

that’s what they’re there for. Tennis and foot-

ball. They’re both completely ‘the same’ game,

aren’t they? After all, they’re both played with

balls! One person plays or watches one, an-

other person the other. Or both. It depends on

what mood they’re in. It would be silly to com-

pare one group of fans with the other. They are

completely different. If both are excellent, then

everyone will be happy!

efJ: As a celebrity chef from Hungary, you have

a special relationship with Hungarian cuisine.

Can you tell us about some of your favourite

recipes from your home country for our culinary

journey?

tamás széll: I could go on for hours answering

this question…

My problem is that I could list all of the Hungar-

ian clichés – which when prepared well hold

their own in the restaurant – but I like to make

them at home, as well.

For example: chicken paprika, curd cheese

noodles, fish soup, goulash soup. But I must

say that goulash soup fits well within the frame-

work of fine dining. Some are even as good as

the original. But I won’t share the recipe be-

cause I’m sure it would put people off, and no

www.european-food-journal.comwww.european-food-journal.com

one would want to prepare it after that. Better

to taste it.

efJ: How important is food culture in Hungary?


here?

tamás széll: Hungarian gastro culture is ab-

solutely fashionable and is in the spotlight at

the moment. But we are just at the beginning

of the journey. I feel a mixed, civil war-type

atmosphere. Side by side we see the new and

modern dishes along with the stale old ones,

as well as the truly traditional. Hungarians are

confused. They are still not able to see the cor-

rect path clearly. But it is a fact that not just

the good, but the better restaurants prefer to

purchase from abroad. That is a really a big

problem for everyone. I would be extremely

cautious about calling that culture! Whip-wield-

ing cowboys with their goulash soup are also

Hungary, but we are not just that!

efJ: Let’s talk about your restaurant, the name

of which is Onyx. Where is it located, and what

culinary highlights can your guests expect to

enjoy? What dining style do you follow?

tamás széll: The Onyx is located in the

heart of Budapest on Vörösmarty

Square, close to embassies, hotels and

tourist attractions. The restaurant has

had a Michelin star since 2011; its name

comes from the onyx stone, of which

there is a lot in the restaurant. We like

to communicate through our tasting

menus, and we like to draw on eve-

rything in the world. At the Onyx, you

may find both true Hungarian lines and those

which are more open to the world.

efJ: What about culinary clichés: Is goulash still

the national dish of Hungary, or has the nation’s

favourite dish undergone a modern ‘update’?

tamás széll: Let’s make one thing clear first. The

world believes that goulash is that one-dish

meal which we prepare from slowly cooked

beef heavily seasoned with paprika. However,

this is not “goulash” but pörkölt! Goulash is

prepared similarly, but it is not a thick stew; it

is a thick soup in which there are potatoes and

possibly csipetke – a tiny hand-made pasta. It

never contains carrots, celery or other vegeta-

bles. It is a soup, not a stew!

Also, we don’t call it ‘goulash’ but

gulyás. We don’t pronounce the LY in

the middle of the word as L but as Y,

like at the very end of ‘joy’ – so it’s ‘goo-yash,’


tamás széll: It’s certainly true that Hungarians

can put together heavenly feasts because

they know how to eat. The problem here at

home is that they look for quantity; quality is

somewhere lower down the list. This needs to

change. Then the French saying would be true

about us as well.

not ‘goo-lash.’ It’s not a joy for us when

tourists ask for ‘goulash.’

And gulyás has not gone through any update.

The way each chef prepares his own version,

that’s not an update. It’s either successful or a

dead end. Try getting a good pizza in Naples!

It’s the same situation here with gulyás. As a

national dish, it’s available everywhere, but

you’ll need a magnifying class to find a good

one.

efJ: In some countries there is a general saying

about the dining culture in that country,

for example ‘eat like a god in France’. Can you

think of a Hungarian equivalent that summa-

rizes the advantages of Hungarian cuisine?


DeliCiousGourmet Recipesmy very own hungarian layered potato casserole

Cook the eggs in boiling salted water for approximate-ly three minutes. After three minutes, remove from heat and allow them to sit for an additional seven minutes in the hot water. After that, immediately cool them in cold water. This is the only way to achieve the desired result: the eggs won’t overcook, and the egg yolks won’t be crumbly or have a greyish outer surface.

Peel the eggs once they have cooled.

While the eggs are cooking, cut the sausage cross- wise into thin slices. Grate the garlic, crumble the thyme leaves. Add the garlic and thyme to the cream. To this add enough salt so that it is slightly salty in taste. Keep in mind that the potatoes will also be salted by the cream.

Once this is done, begin assembling the casserole. The potatoes are used raw; they are not cooked prior to assembly.

Clean the potatoes, then cut into 2 to 3 mm thick slices using a potato slicer. Immediately place the potatoes onto a tea towel in order to extract as much water as possible. Slice the eggs using an egg slicer.

The casserole will have three layers of potatoes and two layers each of sausage and egg.

In a high-walled casserole dish, layer first the raw potatoes, then the sausage and the egg slices. Splash some of the seasoned cream on top of the first layer. Do the same for the next layer. Finish with a layer of potatoes and the remaining cream.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 120°C for 2 to 3 hours. Cooked at this temperature for this length of time, the potatoes will be soft, and the cream will thicken. The dish will be the most delicious prepared this way.

The result is a fantastic, golden-brown layered potato casserole.

1 kg potatoes

6 to 8 eggs

100 g smoked Hungarian sausage (kolbász)

800 to 900 ml cream

1 clove garlic

2 to 3 sprigs thyme (dried) salt


perfeCt poultryperfeCt poultryWhile poultry generally enjoys a high popularity, consumers with more distinct

taste buds might be inclined to try out something other than simple chicken

or turkey products. Hungary-based HOLLA Baromfi Kft. captivates customers

with duck and goose products of a select quality and provides a perfect example

of the very productive and highly innovative Hungarian food processing industry.

ferenc horváth, owner and managing director of hollA Baromfi kft.


“We are active in the processing of poultry,

specifically goose and duck,” explains com-

pany owner and Managing Director Ferenc

Horváth. “Our main products are goose and

duck liver – foie gras, goose and duck breast –

magret, goose and duck legs, as well as roast

goose and duck. Our products are of exquisite

taste and outstanding quality.”

From roast duck to fattened up poultry, all ani-

mals processed by HOLLA Baromfi are bred

without use of medication, allowing for a very

high quality in meat and exceeding in taste.

The company is fully aware of the custom-

ers’ expressed wish to consume meat only of

excellent quality and free from any noxious

substances. “It is a particular trait of Hungarian

water birds to be granted a natural way of life

before slaughter,” Mr. Horváth explains.

With its quality poultry, HOLLA Baromfi serves

the wholesale trade as well as major hotel

chains and wholesale chains that are directly

involved in import, domestically as well as

abroad.

While a preceding company was already in

existence in 1992, the company in its current

shape was founded in the year 2006, when

Mr. Horváth managed to consort with a large

poultry and roast duck integrator who was also

interested in working with geese. Continuous

development and improvement of the process-

ing machinery led to increased requests from

abroad, which, in return, made necessary an

adjustment of the technical quality of the pro-

duction. “It was a reciprocal and continuous

development. We never received any support,

never took out any loans, but financed it in

our own right,” the managing director recalls.

At its location in Kiskunhalas, HOLLA Baromfi

employs 130 members of staff and processes

about 15,000 pieces of poultry a week, which

it markets at home and abroad. Main foreign

markets are Russia, the Far East and Japan,

as well as some European countries including

Belgium, France and Italy. “We already serve

markets in the Arab world and in the Far East,

we deliver to North Vietnam,” says Mr. Horváth.

“Once the embargo against Russia is over, we

will be delivering there, too. Russian consumers

are increasingly enjoying our products. We also

hope that conditions will be right soon to enter

the German-speaking markets,” he adds.

HOLLA Baromfi’s main marketing channel is di-

rect marketing via telephone and through direct

visits of existing and potential customers. With

all necessary certificates in place – including

ISO 9001 and HACCP – concrete personal rela-

tions where these can be presented establish

and increase trust and credibility. In the Ser-

bian capital of Belgrade the company recently

introduced its products to a well-known chain

of restaurants. Furthermore HOLLA Baromfi

presents its quality products at trade fairs. “We

can offer to our customers excellent quality in

products as well as in the way we serve them,”

Mr. Horváth explains the advantages of his

company. “We attach special importance to fair

relationships and see our customers

as our partners.” HOLLA Baromfi also

places emphasis on timely deliveries


and always provides the agreed quantity at

the agreed price. “Of course, our competi-

tors are also very good,” says Mr. Horváth.

“I find that it is only with an excellent competi-

tion that one can truly excel.” The company

founder is very fond of his business. “I really

wouldn’t need to work anymore,” he adds. “But

I just can’t help myself, I enjoy it too much.

People are made for certain things. Some might

invent an atomic bomb for example, and it runs

in my blood to be a businessman. And I feel

very positive about the current developments

here in Hungary.”

It does therefore not surprise that Mr. Horváth

has various projects in the pipeline for the fu-

ture of HOLLA Baromfi. “We are currently tak-

ing part in a tender for EU financing concern-

ing capacity and employment extension,” the

managing director explains. With this money,

the company plans to advance the processing

operation for magret goose liver on a very high

level of quality. “What’s more, for countries that

hollA BAromfi kft.

Kötönyi u. 22.6400 Kiskunhalas Hungary

+36 70 451 50 01

[email protected] www.HOLLA.info.hu

don’t have a culture of fattened goose or duck,

we plan to prepare our magret in a way so it

can be dished up directly,” Mr. Horváth reveals.

“We want to surprise consumers with this con-

venience product which will be freshly vacuum

packaged and ready to be served so consum-

ers can immediately enjoy a bit of smoked or

filled foie gras, maybe with some bread

and peaches in syrup.”


sAy “Cheese!”sAy “Cheese!”

Dairy products are a culinary delight in large parts of the world, and a good

cheese can put a smile on anyone’s face. Baked over a casserole, as a topping on a sandwich or salad, or by itself with a glass of wine, cheese is both delicious and nutritious. few companies know that better than Kőröstej Group, based in Budapest. managing Director gyula tráj tells european Business Journal about the company’s hAJDÚ brand, the significance of good customer relations and what the future has in store for the company that makes 25,000 t of cheese a year.


Kőröstej Group is known for its middle eastern cheese specialties


eBJ: What is the history behind Kőröstej

Group?

gyula tráj: Kőröstej Group was founded by Dr.

Riad Naboulsi in 1989. He started by selling

products on request as a side job, and eventu-

ally that became his main occupation. Since

1989, the company has grown into a group with

several locations producing a number of types

of cheese, like processed cheese and cheese

slices, or labneh and other cheese specialties for

the Arabic world as well as its domestic market.

eBJ: Kőröstej Group’s HAJDÚ brand is very well

known on the international market. What are

some of your best-selling products?

gyula tráj: There are quite a few of them. We

offer HAJDÚ Hungarian double cream white

cheese, HAJDÚ Kashkaval made of cow’s milk

and HAJDÚ Trappista, which is a clear favour-

ite in Hungary, as well as HAJDÚ Chilal type

cheese, HAJDÚ Labneh Balls, HAJDÚ

Parenyica – a smoked cheese, and HAJDÚ

Mozzarella. Our HAJDÚ Grill Cheese, known in

Middle Eastern cuisine as halloumi, is extreme-

ly important to us. We started developing it in

2012 and launched it in 2014. The market has

confirmed the distinction Product of the Year.

It was our first-ever marketing campaign, and

this is a real premium product.

eBJ: The topic of Middle Eastern cheeses keeps

coming up. Have the founder and his heritage

determined the course of the company?

gyula tráj: Yes. Dr. Naboulsi is in charge of

product innovations and has a real sense

of the industry. In terms of social aspects,

relationships are key in the Middle East,

and our cheese is sold on the basis of

personal contacts. We sometimes don’t

even have contracts with our customers.

There is so much trust placed in the word

of others.

gyula tráj, Managing Director of Kőröstej Group


eBJ: Mr. Tráj, you haven’t been with Kőröstej

Group very long. What brought you on board?

gyula tráj: I’ve only been with Kőröstej Group

since February. Dr. Naboulsi still owns the com-

pany, and he used to be the Managing Director.

He realized, however, that his little family business

had grown into this group, and it had to be led ac-

cordingly. I have more than 20 years’ leadership

experience in other companies. My job is to keep

the family feel of our company while changing the

organization for a sustainable group.

eBJ: Where are your products situated in the

market, for example in terms of quality?

gyula tráj: Kőröstej Group was the only Hun-

garian company represented among the 450

products from 12 countries (Austria, Denmark,

Germany and Switzerland among others)

nominated in the Austrian Cheese Olympics

called Käsiade. A panel of 42 international ju-

rors evaluated each entry. They recognize only

cheeses of the highest quality. We entered the

competition with two products only, and won

the Gold Medal for our HAJDÚ Grill Cheese and

the Silver Medal for HAJDÚ Labneh.

NOVEMBER 2014

strategic Cooperation Agreement Long-term cooperation with the Hungarian government

eBJ: If we are not mistaken, you have recently

entered into an agreement with the Hungarian

Government.

gyula tráj: That is correct. A day before we got

the information about the success of

our two quality products, we signed

a Strategic Cooperation Agreement


with the Hungarian government. It practi-

cally means that the government recog-

nised the effort our group made in the past

25 years. We are really proud of this document.

eBJ: What are your target markets?

gyula tráj: About 30% of our products are sold

on the domestic market. Of our exports, 80%

goes to Arabic countries, such as Saudi Arabia,

Lebanon, Jordan, the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria,

Qatar and Bahrain. There, we sell mainly to

wholesalers. The remaining 20% is for the EU,

in particular Germany, the Netherlands, Spain,

Greece and Romania, as well as Kosovo, Mac-

edonia, Montenegro, the USA and Taiwan. Su-

permarket and hypermarket chains are also our

customers.

eBJ: Where do you see Kőröstej Group in the

coming years?

gyula tráj: Growth is a key word. We’d like to

expand the HAJDÚ brand within Hungary and

strengthen its position on export markets. Right

now, it’s more popular on foreign markets. In-

side the company, we have a lot of consolida-

tion work before us. We want to align the entire

group for innovation and growth. We also plan

to examine our processes and figure out

how to get the most out of it.


Kőröstej Kft.

Népfürdő u. 22.Building “B”, 9th Floor1138 BudapestHungary

+36 1 349 3521 +36 1 340 5439

[email protected] www.korostej.hu

APRIL 2014 product of the year in hungary HAJDÚ Grill Cheese

SEPTEMBER 2014 magyarBrands Most popular traditional Hungarian brands

OCTOBER 2014 gold medal, hAJDÚ labneh Competition of Hungarian cheese producers with 98 points out of 100

NOVEMBER 2014 gold medal, hAJDÚ grill Cheese and

silver medal, hAJDÚ labneh Käsiade – Austrian Cheese

Olympics. Chosen from among 450 products from 12 countries by 42 jury members, this award only

recognizes cheeses of the highest quality

Kőröstej Kft.

Népfürdő u. 22.Building “B”, 9th Floor1138 BudapestHungary

+36 1 349 3521 +36 1 340 5439

[email protected] www.korostej.hu


thuri mAAg,

the Chüngel revivAl

thuri mAAg, the swiss celebrity chef, master of mushrooms and rabbit ambassador, clinks glasses with prince Albert of monaco: to a “maagical” meal – and of course an excellent wine!

the Chüngel revivAl


About thuri maagThe woods. For the famous Swiss celebrity chef Thuri Maag, it is a magical place. During his days as a ski acrobat on the B squad of the Swiss national team, he sought out the woods merely for extended runs. When a friend introduced him to the world of mushrooms, however, it was love at first bite. Gathering mushrooms became a passion – an addiction even. Today, Maag is considered the master of mushrooms, and he has written many books about the tasty and aromatic ‘forest dwellers.’ He has also made a name for himself as a chef and restaurateur. For nearly two decades, he ran his restaurant Thuris’s Blumenau in Lömmenschwil. Since 2011 Maag has had a new mission: He is reviving rabbit, or ‘Chüngel’ in his dialect, in Swiss cuisine.

1952 Born in

Bachenbülach (Zurich)

1982 to 1990 maag’s big ‘chef time’ in rössli

restaurant

1994 to 2006

michelin star

1990 to 2007

his restaurant thuri’s

Blumenau in its heyday

2011 new role as

gastronomical consultant for delicacies of

rabbit

efJ: Mr. Maag, our culinary journey through Eu-

rope has now brought us to you in Switzerland.

You are a well-known Michelin-starred chef,

mushroom expert and cookbook author. Up

until now, we always thought that barley soup

and fried potato rösti where the national dishes

of Switzerland. Thanks to you, I have now been

made aware of something called Chüngel. Is

that another Swiss national dish?

Michelin-starred chef Thuri Maag is reviving ‘Chüngel’ as the Swiss national

dish. This unusually named ingredient is none other than rabbit meat. It can

even be used to make the famous Swiss stir-fried veal specialty Zürcher

Gschnetzeltes but without the traditional inclusion of kidney as his grandmother

would have insisted upon way back when. A definitive ‘yes’ to modernized cui-

sine, which the Swiss native always combines with regional products as well as

Swiss wines. Food fit for a prince – even Prince Albert of Monaco.

thuri maag: Absolutely. Rabbit – or Chüngel

as we say in Switzerland – has a long tradi-

tion, particularly in the Rhaeto-Romanic part of

Switzerland, the French-speaking part and the

Italian-speaking Ticino. In our family it was al-

ways eaten to mark special occasions. On high

feast days like Christmas and Easter or when

it was someone’s birthday, my mother always

cooked rabbit.


efJ: How do you like Chüngel served best?

thuri maag: There aren’t just one or two reci-

pes but a whole range to choose from. On my

homepage delikantessa.ch, there are around 60

recipes. My favourite recipes have a distinctive

Swiss flavour: I make a Zurich-style stir fry but

not with the usual pork or veal but with rabbit.

It is an unusual interpretation that omits two

traditional ingredients: mushrooms and kid-

ney. Another delicious way to serve rabbit is to

smear saddle fillets with hot mustard, sprinkle

with breadcrumbs, parsley and garlic, and bake

in the oven. It is very tasty with a subtle heat

and a lovely juicy texture. Of course, the tradi-

tional way to make rabbit is in a stew. Because

I am an expert on mushrooms and culinary

fungi, I like to prepare this dish in autumn us-

ing seasonal autumn morel mushrooms. This

produces a dark and intense gravy. It is then

served with mashed potatoes made according

to a traditional recipe from Ticino.

efJ: Zurich-style stir fry with rabbit sounds a bit

as if Grandmother’s recipe has been given an

update. Is that right?

thuri maag: Absolutely. As the Swiss ambassa-

dor for rabbit, I demonstrate unexpected ways

of preparing rabbit to cooking enthusiasts at

various events. Even carpaccio or tartare of

rabbit are easy to make. Many people believe

that rabbit is just like chicken and mustn’t be

eaten raw, but that is not true. There is no

risk of salmonella in rabbit meat. It can be

prepared in exactly the same ways as veal or

beef.

efJ: Why does Swiss cooking need

bringing up to date?


thuri maag: There is no need to bring it up

to date; it is already thoroughly modern.

Only tourists eat dishes like rösti and stir-

fried veal. We have a lot of good, Michelin-

starred chefs who are pioneering a more mod-

ern version of Swiss cuisine. Our food tradition

can be traced back to the start of the 19th cen-

tury when tourism took off and many large ho-

tels were built. Even then they served up ‘grand

cuisine.’ This developed into ‘nouvelle cuisine’

and even more creative interpretations. Today,

you will find inspired young chefs in every good

restaurant who are working to reinvent clas-

sic dishes for a modern audience, focusing on

making them healthy, simple and creative.

efJ: Let’s come back to Chüngel. Where does

rabbit meat come from?

thuri maag: There are Swiss farmers that offer

rabbit meat. However, they cannot possibly

cover all of the demand in the Swiss market.

I source my rabbit from Hungary, where the

animals are reared in accordance with Swiss

animal protection norms and regulations.

efJ: What is the Swiss response to the rabbit

revival?

thuri maag: As I mentioned at the start, there

is a long tradition of eating rabbit in a number

of regions in Switzerland. With regards to the

German-speaking parts of the country, I am

currently working to get people there fired up

about the benefits of Chüngel. In the old days,

virtually every family kept their own rabbits, but

that is no longer the case. Parts of the popula-

tion in Switzerland are no longer accustomed

to eating rabbit. I would like to spread the mes-

sage that rabbit is the healthiest meat you can

possibly eat. The meat helps lower cholesterol

and is also low in fat.

efJ: What does your job as an ambassador for

rabbit meat involve?

thuri maag: I travel around the country in a van

equipped with a fully working kitchen. In many

places I present my mobile cooking show. I

then cook as many as twelve different dishes,

which people can taste for free.

efJ: What is the reaction of tourists to the return

of rabbit?

thuri maag: That always depends on where the

tourists come from. Countries like Germany,

Italy, France or the Netherlands are happy to

embrace new ideas. Asians and Americans, on

the other hand, refuse to even try rabbit meat.

efJ: How do you explain that?

thuri maag: Well, I would at least say that the

Americans don’t have an eating culture. Of

course there are exceptions that prove the rule.

Generally speaking, the problems that a lot of

people have with eating rabbit stem from the

so-called ‘Bambi syndrome.’ Rabbits are seen

as cute and cuddly and therefore not for eating.

My response is always the same: piglets and

calves are cute, but they get eaten all the same.

What is so different about rabbit? The problem

is more one of squeamishness than the rabbit

meat itself.

efJ: As an ambassador for rabbit meat, is there

anything else you would like to say?

thuri maag: Just like fish, we should eat rabbit

once a week. It is healthy and will help people

live longer. It also lowers cholesterol, which

means you can treat yourself to an extra glass

of wine to drink with it.

efJ: As a Swiss-born chef, are you proud of

your country’s dining culture?

thuri maag: In Switzerland, we have a very high

standard of dining. I am also amazed at how

good the food is in our chalets – both in sum-

mer and in winter. The only problem that we

have in Switzerland: Everything is very expen-

sive. Produce costs twice as much here as it

does in the EU – that does make things harder

for us.

efJ: Are cheese fondue, rösti and barley soup

still Switzerland’s national dishes, or have they

been overtaken by more modern dishes?

thuri maag: Our national dishes will always

stay the same. We like to eat cheese fondue in


winter, and when we go skiing,

we like to enjoy a hearty barley

soup.

efJ: What do the terms ‘regional

cuisine’ and ‘slow food’ mean to

you?

thuri maag: I have been living these

‘modern’ food trends for the past

20 years. I have always cooked re-

gional dishes. In my restaurant Thuri’s

Blumenau in Lömmenschwil, where

I cooked for 17 years, we only served fish

caught in Lake Constance and no sea fish at

all. Other ingredients were sourced from local

farmers and regional producers. That also in-

cluded Swiss wines.

efJ: We would now like to hear your opinion

about Europe’s culinary traditions in general.

In which other countries or towns can you also

eat well?

thuri maag: A lot has happened in Europe in the

last 15 years, above all in Spain. The restaurant

El Bulli in Barcelona is known for its avant-

garde regional cuisine and its molecular cook-

ing. I also know some sensational restaurants

in Holland, France, Germany and even Hunga-

ry. In the case of Germany, I would add the fol-

lowing caveat: the fine dining experience is only

really good in the top restaurants. In the middle

and lower segment, too little care is taken.

efJ: Where can the best markets in Europe be

found?

thuri maag: Wherever I am travelling, whether

it is to Lisbon, Hamburg or Budapest, I always

look for local markets with fresh products. I

think it is a kind of ‘cook’s compulsion.’

efJ: There is a saying ‘eat like a god in France.’

Can you think of an equivalent saying in relation

to Swiss cuisine?

thuri maag: Swiss cuisine is like a tennis match

with Roger Federer: every stroke is perfectly

executed, is incredibly creative and works

with the precision of a Swiss watch.


DeliCiousGourmet Recipesgigolette de lapin aux trompettes de la mortshoulder of rabbit with black chanterelles

serves 4 as a main course 4 shoulders of rabbit, Selection MAAGique,

200 g each

1 tbsp flour

200 g white wine

300 g water

10 g chicken broth paste

10 to 15 g dried black chanterelles

1 green onion

2 cloves of garlic

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Clarified butter or olive oil

method: Soak the black chanterelles in cold water that barely covers them for at least 30 minutes.

Don’t pour out the soaking water, though – a flavour carrier would be lost!

However, because there will be a lot of sand at the bottom of the bowl of soaking water, it is a good idea to pass the water through a coffee filter or pour it carefully into another bowl. Wash the softened mushrooms.

Season the rabbit, and sear it in olive oil or clari-fied butter. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté briefly.

Weigh out the rest of the ingredients, and mix them together in a separate bowl. Deglaze the rabbit with the mixture. Add the black chanterel-les and the soaking water.

Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Remove the rabbit pieces from the sauce, keep them warm, and reduce the sauce to the desired thickness.

Put the meat back in the sauce, bring it to a boil, and serve.

tip: Serve with couscous, polenta, mashed potatoes or spätzle.

Gourmet Recipes


paul spuhler’s Diced rabbit

Chüngel-g‘schnätzlets

serves 2 2 saddle of rabbit fillets or 260 to 280 g

50 g clarified butter

50 g fresh butter

50 g white wine

100 g broth/bouillon

50 g cream

25 g chopped shallots, sautéed separately

1 tbsp flour

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

method: Cut the saddle of rabbit fillets into slices 5-8 mm thick.

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Dust with the flour. Put the meat into a smoking hot sauté pan along with the clarified butter. Sauté briefly while stirring constantly. Don’t let the meat get too dark. Dump the meat into a sieve with a bowl under it. Pour the broth over the meat.

Add the shallots to the sauté pan, deglaze im-mediately with the white wine, and boil it down completely. Add to it the liquid collected in the bowl and reduce by half. Add the cream, and mount the butter into the sauce. Add the meat. Bring it to a boil, and arrange it on warmed plates. Serve the traditional way with ribbon noodles or a crispy rösti cooked from raw potatoes.

variations: My mentor also added chopped parsley. Fresh tarragon or chives would be another option. But – in all honesty – I wouldn’t add a thing!


wAtChmAker’s DelightwAtChmAker’s Delight


Switzerland is renowned for prime cheeses with authentic taste evoking alpine

pastures and first-class watches incorporating the country’s unrivalled atten-

tion to detail. Val d’Arve SA has managed to combine both of these unique quali-

ties. Located in the heart of the Swiss watchmaking region, the cheese maker of-

fers Le Délice de l’Horloger – Watchmaker’s Delight – an award-winning gourmet

cheese with intense, refined taste that pays tribute to Switzerland’s long-estab-

lished tradition in fine timepieces.

Val d’Arve is a Swiss cheese maker special-

ized in the production of soft cheeses. It is a

member of Laiteries Réunies de Genève, a

cooperative society consisting of eight firms

with activities in the areas of dairy and meat

products, trading, and logistics. Val d’Arve is

part of the dairies division, together with an-

other company: Nutrifrais. “We are focused on

soft cheese whereas Nutrifrais produces yo-

ghurts and desserts,” Managing Director Pierre

Charvet describes the division of labour within

the cooperative. Mr. Charvet has been with Val

d’Arve for 39 years and last year took over the

management of the entire dairy products unit

of Laiteries Réunies de Genève. The coopera-

tive society has a total of 400 employees and

generates annual revenues of 280 million CHF.

It has 700 members, including 200 milk produc-

ers supplying the dairy firms in the cooperative

with 53 million liters of milk annually. Val d’Arve

is rich in tradition, with the company’s origins

dating back to the year 1911. Today, combin-

ing tradition and innovation, the Swiss soft

cheese specialist employs 47 people and turns

over 18.5 million CHF. Every day, Val d’Arve

processes 70,000 l of fresh Geneva countryside

milk into a wide variety of high-quality gourmet

cheeses. Depending on the product, the com-

pany processes raw milk and ultra-heat treated

and pasteurized milk. The product range splits

into two brands: Val d’Arve and Jean-Louis. In

the Val d’Arve range, two cheeses stand apart:


Le Tonneau d’Alpage (Barrel of the Alps), a

mild soft cheese in barrel form with authentic

taste that evokes Swiss alpine pastures, and Le

Délice de l’Horloger (Watchmaker’s Delight), a

gourmet cheese with an intense, refined taste.

Both cheeses won prestigious prizes at last

year’s World Cheese Awards in Birmingham,

the world’s largest cheese competition, which

displayed as many as 2,781 cheeses from all

continents in 2012. “Le Délice de l’Horloger

was honoured with a Super Gold medal, and Le

Tonneau d’Alpage received a Bronze medal,”

states Mr. Charvet. Another outstanding Val

d’Arve product is La Tomme de Ge-

nève, a soft cheese made 100% from

milk from the region of Geneva. “We


use carefully selected milk from local sup-

pliers to manufacture natural, authentic

cheeses that are healthy, rich in taste

and easy to digest,” Mr. Charvet explains the

product philosophy of Val d’Arve. This philoso-

phy is not only highly admired in Switzerland,

where the company has two main customers:

the supermarket chains Coop and Migros. It

is also appreciated by cheese lovers in many

other countries all over the world, despite high

cheese prices and unfavourable exchange

rates with a strong Swiss franc. “We make up

for these disadvantages through constant,

first-rate quality and excellent customer ser-

vice,” explains Mr. Charvet. The main export

markets of Val d’Arve are France, Germany

vAl D’Arve sA

Chemin des Aulx 61228 Plan-les-OuatesSwitzerland

+41 22 8848150 +41 22 8848151

[email protected] www.lrgg.ch

pierre Charvet, managing director of val d’Arve sA

and Belgium, followed by Canada, Hong Kong,

Australia, the UK, Finland and Lebanon. In the

domestic market, Coop and Migros account

for 80% of the total sales of Val d’Arve. The

remaining 20% fall to smaller food retailing

businesses and delicatessens. In the Swiss

market, Val d’Arve is the second-largest sup-

plier. “There is only one larger producer,” says

Mr. Charvet. To further grow its market posi-

tion, Val d’Arve is continuously developing new,

innovative cheese products that meet individual

customer (and consumer) demands. “We have

just developed a new type of cheese in heart

form, which is made from 100% organic

milk, for Coop,” states Mr. Charvet.

rAlf ZACherl,

“the regionAl fooD ClAssiCs Are As populAr As ever!”


rAlf ZACherl, german tv chef

“the regionAl fooD ClAssiCs Are As populAr As ever!”

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efJ: Mr. Zacherl, let us accompany you on a

personal culinary journey of discovery around

Europe. Which European countries, cities and

regions do you think serve the best food and

drink?

ralf Zacherl: In the last few years, I have taken

a growing number of holidays in Europe and

have tried to get hold of the typical, local dishes

in each country I have visited. From Italy to

France and Spain, every country has its own

quirks and specialties so that it is difficult to

pick just one. On the whole, I have found that

countries that grow wine generally have good

In response to the question whether there is a German equivalent to the

French saying ‘eat like a god in France,’ German TV chef Ralf Zacherl is at a

loss. He thinks that too many Germans do their shopping according to the

principle that ‘greed is good’. However, there is no shortage of culinary highlights

in his home country. Authentic national dishes such as Nuremberg bratwurst

cooked over a fire of beech woodchips are still as popular as ever in the regions.

food. From a personal point of view, I was par-

ticularly excited by Portuguese cuisine and the

percebes. You can find lovely little restaurants

right on the Atlantic coast and in Porto or Lis-

bon. A nice glass of port to go with the meal or

wine from the Douro Valley – there is certainly

something to be said for that.

efJ: Where can the best traditional markets be

found?

ralf Zacherl: Again I have to say that every

country has its own wonderful local markets,

and I love wandering through them all. In Ger-

About ralf ZacherlRalf Zacherl’s career as a celebrity chef is a culinary journey in itself – especially through Germany. Among the first stops on his career path were the restau-rants 3 Stuben in Meersburg and the Traube Tonbach in Baiersbronn. And who can claim to have been the youngest star chef in Germany? Ralf Zacherl, of course. At the age of just 26, Ralf Zacherl earned a Michelin star as the head chef of Egbert Engelhardt’s restaurant Graues Haus. That was in 1997. After that the head chef landed in Djer-ba (Tunisia) at Athenee Palace. Even though he soon made his way back to Germany, his wanderlust stuck with him, and Zacherl loves Mediterranean cuisine. The Wertheim native also passes on a lot of his culinary knowledge as a TV chef. The list of series with which he has cooperated is long. At the top, there is the series ‘Die Küchenchefs’ for the channel VOX, in which Zacherl, along with his fellow TV chefs Martin Baudrexel and Mario Kotaska, helps restaurants in Germany that are doing poorly to get back on their feet. What a contribution to raising the culinary level in his home country!

1971 Born in

wertheim

1997 youngest

star chef in germany

(1 michelin star)

2003 Beginning of career

as tv chef

2004 expansion of independent

work as celebrity chef

2009 professional

chef on the vox television show

‘Die küchen-chefs’

(‘the head Chefs’)

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many, I particularly like the Christmas market

in Rüdesheim with delicious white mulled

wine, the weekly markets in Freiburg and the

Paul-Linke Ufer in Berlin – Kreuzberg lifestyle

included. But you should never limit yourself by

constantly looking for a personal favourite. The

most important thing is that everything is fresh.




ralf Zacherl: Of course there are, and the best

thing about it is that culinary specialties fre-

quently cross national borders.

efJ: Which European country has the best food

specialties, and what are they?

ralf Zacherl: I don’t think you can rank different

foods because food, luckily, is not subject to

regulatory norms and everything is a matter of

personal taste. That is why a top ten list would

not be worth the paper it was written on. When

you are skiing in South Tyrol, you can’t beat

their bacon or egg-based delicacies. In Seville

at the height of summer, there is nothing better

than Andalusian gazpacho, and let’s not forget

the first Wiener schnitzel with asparagus at the

start of April.



ralf Zacherl: I think that neither have real stay-

ing power. Instead I would prefer it if people

would simply pay more attention to what they

eat rather than how it is cooked. Whether it is

a quickly prepared but balanced snack for in

between or a relaxed dinner cooked slowly is

immaterial.

efJ: As a celebrity chef from Germany, you

have a special relationship with

German cuisine. Can you tell us about

some of your favourite recipes from


your home country for our culinary jour-

ney?

ralf Zacherl: Granny Zacherl’s onion tart with a

glass of Federweisser in the autumn. No ques-

tion!

efJ: How important is food culture in Germany?


here?

ralf Zacherl: Fortunately, eating ‘sensibly’ is a

subject that more and more people are taking

an interest in. Particularly now, as modern tech-

nology speeds up the pace of life, preventing

people from switching off and increasing the

rate of stress-related problems such as burn-

out, many people are making a conscious effort

to improve their nutrition. This trend has been

going for a few years now, and I see it as very

positive, even if I would like to see the whole

thing move a bit faster.

efJ: Is there a German restaurant that you can

recommend?

ralf Zacherl: I would need much more time to

answer this question than you could possibly

give me. I have many colleagues who do fan-

tastic work every day and play their part in cre-

ating an outstanding dining culture here.

efJ: What about culinary clichés? Is sausage

and sauerkraut still the German national dish,

or has the nation’s favourite dish undergone a

modern ‘update’?

ralf Zacherl: I wasn’t aware that Germans were

still being labeled krauts or sausage eaters.

But, seriously, you may have to look for nation-

al dishes, but every region has its own absolute

classic such as fresh Nuremberg bratwurst

cooked over a fire of beech woodchips or curly

kale in East Frisia; they are out there and as

popular as ever!

efJ: In some countries there is a general saying

about the dining culture in that country, for ex-

ample ‘eat like a god in France’. Can you think

of a German equivalent that summarizes the

advantages of German cuisine?

ralf Zacherl: That’s a hard one; the French really

are ahead of us with food sayings. Unfortunate-

ly, the only saying that counts for a lot of Ger-

mans doing their food shopping is ‘greed

is good’. But we are working on that.

DeliCiousGourmet Recipesgranny Zacherl’s onion tart with federweisser wine and wild leaf salad

method:1. For the base, grate the orange zest and mix with the rest of the

base ingredients to form a dough. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.

2. Peel the onions, wash the spring onions and slice both finely. Fry the chopped bacon in a pan until the fat runs. Add the sliced oni-ons and spring onions, and season well with salt, sugar, caraway seeds and pepper. Sweat for another 3 to 4 minutes and then remove from the heat.

3. Heat the oven to 180°C (fan). Mix the eggs with the sour cream and the orange zest. Season to taste. Roll the dough into a rectangle (roughly 35 cm by 40 cm) on a piece of baking paper.

Place on a baking sheet and with your fingers push the dough up around the edges to form a lip. Prick all over with

a fork. Mix the onions with the sour cream mixture and spread over the dough. Bake in

the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

tip: If you can’t be bothered making the dough yourself, you can use puff pastry instead. Roll out the pastry and bake blind (prick the pastry, line with paper and weigh it down with baking beans so the pastry doesn’t rise) before putting in the filling and baking.

ingredients: for 6 people for the base: 350 g flour120 g quark (curd cheese)1 orange (unwaxed)6 tbsp milk6 tbsp vegetable oilsalt, a little baking powder

for the topping: 800 g onions100 g streaky bacon, smoked1 bunch spring onions300 g sour cream3 eggs2 sprigs thymesalt, pepper, sugar, caraway seeds(Source: Kochen mit den Küchenchefs)

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slimmer, heAlthier AnD meAsurABly youngerslimmer, heAlthier AnD meAsurABly younger

You have tried different types of diets but none of them have really worked?

Your doctor keeps telling you to eat more healthily in order to stop your cho-

lesterol levels from rising and to avoid getting diabetes? You would also like

to live more healthily in general, have beautiful skin and feel energetic all day?

Attila Hildmann promises he has the answer to all your problems. His ‘Vegan for

Youth’ concept is a 60-day challenge uniting a well-balanced vegan diet with

meditation and exercise. We spoke to the author of the new vegan testimonial

about the dangers of obesity and high cholesterol and his recipe for rejuvenating

your body and increasing your life expectancy.

®Ju

styn

a Kr

zyza

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ska

Attila hildmann:

“vegan makes you younger and happier”

efJ: Mr. Hildmann, what was your motivation

for your latest book ‘Vegan for Youth’?

Attila hildmann: After our ‘Vegan for Fit’ chal-

lenge in my second book, many people told me

they felt younger and fitter. In fact, they looked

better and younger than before. The same was

true for me when I started living vegan. Accord-

ing to scientific measuring, I am 26 years old

and not 33 as stated in my passport. My aim

was to give these results scientific backing. I

believe that it is our responsibility to save peo-

ple from aging early or becoming ill due to bad

eating habits. There are many elderly people

who prove that a balanced lifestyle and diet

influence your life expectancy positively and

keep your body younger. I visited vegan monks

in Kyoto who are old as stone and energetic

‘Mammas’ in the Italian village of the centenar-

ians. I also talked to top-class scientists and

carried out many test series. They all verified

my hypothesis that food which is high in anti-


oxidants, mediation, stretching and exercise

regenerate your body.

efJ: What makes your book different from other

vegan cookbooks?

Attila hildmann: The book was written to make

people healthier. In particular, I would like to

address obese people. ‘Vegan for Youth’ ab-

stains from all types of chemical additives and

cholesterol. Instead, my dishes contain great

volumes of antioxidants and important sec-

ondary phytochemicals, so-called superfoods,

which stimulate our immune system. At the

same time, the body is relieved as it does not

have to process fat or industrial sugar anymore.

As a result, suffering from cravings is pre-

vented, and your blood glucose levels normal-

ize. Your blood fat levels decrease, and your

vitamin levels are restored. You lose weight

without being hungry. No wonder that all the

participants in the challenge are enthusiastic

about their new quality of life.

efJ: What do you think: What makes the book

so successful?

Attila hildmann: From my previous books, peo-

ple learned that I do not make empty promises.

Many people are in danger due to obesity,

high cholesterol or the beginning of diabetes.

They need a concept that works. ‘Vegan for

Youth’ describes a diet that is based on the

latest scientific results. The positive results

have been verified by several scientists. I

am happy for everyone who learns to live a

healthier and happier life with my concept.

efJ: In a nutshell – what does ‘Vegan for

Youth’ mean?

Attila hildmann: The concept makes you

healthier and younger. The results have

been verified on the basis of the de-

velopment of telomeres. The shorter

our telomeres are, the more our body

ages. Once they are too short, our

chromosome strands open like shoe-

laces without caps – and we die. The ‘Vegan

for Youth’ challenge slows down the shorten-

ing process. Thus, your skin and organs stay

young for a longer period of time.

efJ: Who is your target group?

Attila hildmann: Everyone who would like to

live a healthier life and who does not feel

comfortable due to being overweight or

having dermal problems, diabetes or high cho-

lesterol.

efJ: Where do you find inspiration for

new recipes and dishes?


Attila hildmann: I just keep trying out lots of

things. My trips inspire me, too. For exam-

ple, I integrated several ideas from my trips

to Japan and Italy into my new recipes.

efJ: First and foremost, you are a chef. How-

ever, quite often the media seems to put your

personality into the focus of attention. How do

you feel about this?

Attila hildmann: Well, I do not meet the typical

cliché of a vegan wearing Birkenstock sandals.

For sure, I am not going to change in order to

fit into any category. Of course, it is not always

nice to provoke people, but if it helps to estab-

lish a vegan lifestyle among a wider audience,

that is fine with me. Sometimes, the end justi-

fies the means.

efJ: Provocation as a marketing tool?

Attila hildmann: I do things my way, and I don’t

mince matters. Sometimes I provoke people

without even noticing. This is not a strategy.

efJ: What does vegan mean for you?

Attila hildmann: Generally speaking I live 99%

vegan. Regarding my diet, I am even 100% ve-

gan. Yet, I do not do this in order to get a good

reputation with certain people but because it

is something I want for myself. I believe that

following a 100% ethical approach makes you

blind to what is really important. It should be

our mission to change the bad eating habits

of our society. Therefore I do not tell people

what to do or not to do. I just offer an attrac-

tive alternative. Furthermore, it is a great way to

combine health and animal protection. Today,

speeding is prosecuted more consistently than

commercial cruelty to animals.

efJ: What are your upcoming new plans or

projects?

Attila hildmann: In December I will present my

new book ‘Vegan to Go’ with dishes that are

quick and easy to prepare and super-tasty

at the same time. I cannot wait to publish it.

At present, I am touring the USA. The market

there is even tougher than the German market.

Still, it is fun. I am doing many interviews and

TV shows, and I have several projects in the

pipeline.

efJ: Mr. Hildmann, do you have any words of

wisdom for us from your experience as an en-

trepreneur?

Attila hildmann: Sometimes you have to reach

for the stars. You have to remain true to your-

self and always give 100%. This attitude made

me what I am today.

Attila hildmann: Spicy bruschetta, zucchini rolls

with pumpkin filling and pesto topping, cashew

ice cream with brittle and warm cinnamon-

apple chutney. Together with freshly squeezed

fruit juices and interesting guests, this could be

a great format for a cooking show.

efJ: Mr. Hildmann, thank you very much for

your time.

hungry for more? Check out the recipes for a vegan Christmas meal at www.european-business-journal.com/news/articles/a_merry_vegan_christmas/


tAsty? trenDy? teA!tAsty? trenDy? teA!

Square, ecological and a bit bland? Whoever thinks that tea is only for old gran-

nies or long-haired greenies has clearly missed the latest developments. Mount

Everest Tea Company GmbH, based in the north German town of Elmshorn not

far from Hamburg, knows exactly how to use its tradition and expertise in tea

import and refinery to please today’s taste buds and provide its customers with

a large variety of teas for everyone’s liking. But the highlight is the launch of its

new brand. With my-tbar, the company has managed to turn tea into a tasty and

trendy experience.

Mama Mango, Crispy Dream and

Milky Moon – these melodious names

are only a few examples of Mount Ever-

est’s high quality innovative my-tbar tea blends,

evoking ideas of hot summer days, cold winter

afternoons and comfortable, warm evenings.

“Our Mama Mango creation is very versatile as

it can be drunk either hot or cold. Crispy Dream

for example is perfect for Christmas time with

its almond and cinnamon aroma,” explains

Stephanie von Riegen. Responsible for prod-

uct management and public relations, the wife

of company owner Jens von Riegen is part of

the ninth generation running the family-owned

business and was also involved in the develop-

ment of the company’s own brand. “Up to now,

we have only served the wholesale and special-

ized trade. With my-tbar, which we launched in

September 2013, we also address the end cus-

tomers directly, and it is going really well,” she

reports. “Wherever we present our brand, our

new creations, people are very positive, and we

get many compliments.”

But it is not only the tantalizing smells of mix-

tures such as mango, pineapple and straw-

berry; lemongrass and orange; or

almond, cinnamon and

popcorn that attract

customers. Besides

the variety of delicious

blends, it is also the

approach to tea that

makes my-tbar so

special: Instead of tra-

ditional tea categories

such as black, green,

white, herbal or fruit tea, my-tbar uses

the playful flavour categories Gen-

tle, Creamy, Fruity, Fresh, Spicy

and Classic. “These help our

customers to identify with our

products,” explains

Ms. von Riegen.

“They say: ‘This is


me. This is the kind of

flavour I like,’ and will find

a variety of blends of that

type to try out.”

Once the perfect blend is

found, customers need not

worry about remember-

ing ‘their’ tea’s name – all

blends are numbered, and to

find the favourite again, all that is necessary is

its number. This is also printed on the carefully

designed packaging, which clearly underlines

that Mount Everest’s my-tbar is different from

the competition and far from square. “Our

brand is a lifestyle product for young, innova-

tive people who might enjoy it in trendy cafés,

hotels or lifestyle boutiques,” Ms. von Riegen

says. “It is our first brand, the first one that

bears our name. We established it to be able to

guarantee high quality – something that is only

possible through a brand – and to be unique.”

Mount Everest achieves this aim by selecting

only the finest teas that were approved by

sample audiences for its brand.

Mount Everest Tea Company is run as a family

business in its ninth generation, and its roots

reach as far back as 1793. Originally situated in

Hamburg, the company moved to Elmshorn in

the early 2000s, after Mr. von Riegen had taken

over the lead in a generation transfer and re-

structured the entire business

in the 1990s. Since then it

has experienced steady

growth. Its core competen-

cy is the import, refinery

and distribution of high

quality black, green and

rooibos tea – a total of

550 different types from

the largest and most

renowned tea planta-

tions in India, Ceylon

and China. “With these

teas we serve the spe-

cialized trade, but we also produce blends for

wholesalers,” explains Ms. von Riegen. “Since

we established our brand my-tbar in 2013, we

also address end customers who can buy our

products in specialized shops or online in our

webshop.”

With my-tbar, Mount Everest is present on

social media as well as on national and interna-

tional trade fairs where it gets a lot of positive

feedback for its innovative products.

While Mount Everest markets its products

worldwide, there is a current focus on the Eu-

ropean regions, especially Eastern Europe.

“We want to grow, and we do plan to increase

our activities in the US market,” says Ms. von

Riegen. “I think we have a great brand – I truly

love our products and drink the tea myself.

Our advantage is that we produce the blends

ourselves, and we offer top quality – and only

top quality – at fair prices,” she adds. With this

enthusiasm and a delicious range of tea blends

for all tastes and occasions, Mount Everest is

bound to turn my-tbar into the trend bever-

age it truly deserves to be.

mount everest teA CompAny gmBh

Daimlerstrasse 1325337 Elmshorn Germany

+49 4121 79126 +49 4121 438879

[email protected] www.mount-everest-tea.de

www.my-tbar.com


Angèlique sChmeinCk,

up, up AnD AwAy in my BeAutiful Dining BAlloon

Angélique sChmeinCk, works in and above the clouds. in her hot air balloon restaurant, the Dutch chef takes us on a very special culinary journey.

up, up AnD AwAy in my BeAutiful Dining BAlloon


About Angélique schmeinckAngélique Schmeinck pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the gastronomy sector: She cooks in a tethered hot air balloon called CuliAir Skydining! This is not just a challenge for her but also for her guests for whom she cooks her gourmet dishes high above the ground. As well as this unique restaurant, Schmeinck’s career as a top chef is peppered with other high points. In 1988, she won a Michelin star for the restaurant De Kromme Dissel in Heelsum and repeated the feat in the following two years. The Dutch native is also a cookbook author with seven titles to her name. “Flavour Friends Vegetables and Flavour Friends Fruit” is her best-known and most successful book in her home country to date and describes the technique of culinary mind mapping. Angélique Schmeinck can also be seen on television, mainly on the 24Kitchen cooking channel.

1964 Born in

gelderse huissen

1988 to 2000

guarded a michelin star for her gour-

met cooking in the restaurant

De kromme Dissel in heelsum

2003 the tethered

balloon restaurant is created – and

takes off

2010 Develops a career as a

television chef with tv channel

24kitchen

2014 her new cook-book ‚impress your friends’

is published to accompany

the tv series of the same

name

efJ: Ms. Schmeinck, you are a Dutch master

chef, and you own the hot air balloon restaurant

CuliAir Skydining. This is a very special and

unique culinary journey high above the Nether-

lands.

Angélique schmeinck: Yes, and it’s also the ad-

venture and excitement of being in the air. With

a hot air balloon, you can go up 3 km high,

sometimes even above the clouds. So imagine

being in the basket of a balloon with a won-

derful glass of champagne, a nice sea bass or

lobster on your plate. You are going through

When Angélique Schmeinck cooks, the Michelin-starred chef from Holland

thinks in meters rather than oven temperatures. That is because she cooks

her signature dishes way up above the clouds inside a hot air balloon – prob-

ably the biggest oven in the world. It is part of her hot air balloon restaurant Cu-

liAir Skydining, floating high up in the skies above Holland – and sometimes the

Alps. Ms. Schmeinck also takes credit for making Dutch cuisine more creative.

She invented culinary mind mapping.

the clouds – and above the clouds, the sun is

shining.

efJ: That really sounds fantastic. Did you fulfill a

personal dream with balloon dining?

Angélique schmeinck: Sure. I started with CuliAir

Skydining in 2003.

efJ: How did you hit on that idea?

Angélique schmeinck: Well, it’s as simple as it

is logical. The art of imagination as well as the

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courage to fantasize are both important in cre-

ating things like that. For me as a chef, it was

important to realize that the balloon is a very

large hot air oven. Since the hot air rises, I had

to ask myself what would happen if I hung up

all kinds of food inside the balloon.

efJ: What temperature can we expect to find

there?

Angélique schmeinck: The average temperature

is about 90°C, which is close to that of an or-

dinary kitchen oven. At this temperature, slow

cooking is possible. It actually takes more

time until everything is done, but all the juice

remains inside the fish or chicken. The protein

doesn’t dry out as is the case when food is

heated at higher temperatures.

efJ: Tell us a bit about the cooking show during

the flight.

Angélique schmeinck: We use the hot air in the

balloon for cooking. Therefore, the balloon is

equipped with a control system. Iron baskets

carrying the dishes like fish, chicken or mus-

sels are pulled up to a height of approximately

45 m, just below the dome of the balloon. The

temperature is about 90°C there. When the

dishes are done, they come down with the help

of the control system and I pick them up. Then

I start my live cooking show on a table that pro-

jects outside the basket where I add vegetables

and sauces to the dishes.

efJ: That sounds rather dangerous.

Angélique schmeinck: It’s not. The balloon was

built in England to be very safe. It is kitted out

with the best possible technical equipment for

balloon cooking.

efJ: When do you know the food is cooked?

Angélique schmeinck: We did a lot of experiments

to get find the answer to just that question. On

board, we also have sensors. They allow us to

determine the temperatures at all dif-

ferent heights. Thus, as regards the

cooking, I have to think in meters.

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efJ: How would you describe the dining

experience?

Angélique schmeinck: It is a once-in-a-lifetime

experience. We go ballooning in Holland and

sometimes in Austria, too. For example, in win-

ter we go ballooning above the Alps in a 3.5

hour trip on which I serve glühwein and winter

dishes.

efJ: When you are ballooning in Holland, what

do you see when you look down?

Angélique schmeinck: We often fly over the prov-

ince of Gelderland, located in the heart Hol-

land. There are windmills, meadows, rivers and

beautiful landscapes to see.

efJ: Do you serve Dutch cuisine on board?

Angélique schmeinck: I always use seasonal and

regional products from our country such as

green or white asparagus, organic chickens

which had a “happy outdoor life” and mush-

rooms from the woods. Also, we source our

seafood from the Dutch coast, where wild sea

bass is one of the native species.

efJ: What about the recipes?

Angélique schmeinck: I have my own style of

cooking, which means combining regional

products with the art of lateral thinking. It’s all

about the essence of tastes and flavours. Our

guests are having a big adventure; their senses

are wide open. Therefore, I serve dishes with

a great depth of character, which balance with

the taste of adventure.

efJ: Does that mean you wouldn’t serve the

Dutch national dish stamppot during the flight

just because it would not be adventurous

enough?

Angélique schmeinck: That’s true, but there are

exceptions. In winter time, I probably would

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cook stamppot, of course a very special one

with spices and concentrated flavours so that it

would become a really exciting dish.

efJ: How do guests react to the dining experi-

ence high in skies?

Angélique schmeinck: They are all flabbergasted.

efJ: Speaking of the food culture in the Neth-

erlands: Is your balloon restaurant part of this

culture?

Angélique schmeinck: I would instead say that

CuliAir Skydining is part of the creative thinking

for which our country is famous.

efJ: Can the balloon restaurant also be under-

stood as a way of escaping the cliché that the

Netherlands is a mere cheese country?

Angélique schmeinck: This cliché is absurd. We

have long been well known for our creativity,

for our high ranking when it comes to Michelin

stars. There are many new young chefs who

know the art of cooking creatively and healthily.

And, yes, it’s true that stamppot can even be

served in a restaurant with three Michelin stars

as long as it is prepared with the best potatoes,

vegetables and cooking techniques. Then it can

have a place in your memory as a meaningful

dish. As you can see, tourists need to go a lit-

tle bit further to discover the mentality of Dutch

cuisine.

efJ: By the way, what do you see as your own

contribution to the culinary landscape of the

Netherlands?

Angélique schmeinck: I invented the so-called

culinary mind map to help creativity take a gi-

ant leap forward in Dutch cuisine. I wrote a

book about it called “Flavour Friends”. Just for

a short explanation of flavour friends,

please name a vegetable from your

home country.

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efJ: Sauerkraut.

Angélique schmeinck: All right,

here we go. What matches best

with sauerkraut? As an answer you

can perhaps come up with seven ingredi-

ents because your short-term memory can

only remember seven things. You may say: “I

put some cream in it, add different spices or

fruits.”

efJ: In comparison, what can be achieved

with the culinary mind map?

Angélique schmeinck:Just to stay with our

example, I put the word sauerkraut at the

center of the culinary mind map. All around it,

I put down about 175 best food relationships

for sauerkraut. Without this mind map, you

wouldn’t be able to think of such a great num-

ber of best friends for sauerkraut. In my book

I developed this kind of culinary mind map for

82 different vegetables.

efJ: What are your own very best

friends for sauerkraut?

Angélique schmeinck: I would recom-

mend a

creamy

sauerkraut

soup with Dutch

shrimp and a cream of

potatoes.

Sauerkraut

with oysters, wal-

nuts and potatoes is

also one of my favourites.

You have the saltiness of the oys-

ter, the creamy texture of the potatoes,

a nice fish flavour and the crunch of the

walnuts.

efJ: Is there anything else that would help

someone discover his or her own creativity?

Angélique schmeinck: It’s always worth taking

your time to find the right answer about what

is missing from a dish. So don’t think too hard

to find the answer immediately. Just remember

what Albert Einstein did: When he couldn’t find

the solution to a problem at once, he just lay

down on a sofa and trusted his creative mind

with the hope that the answer would pop up

before his eyes at some stage. And that is usu-

ally what happened. Two days or a week later,

he found the right answer. What a far more

relaxing way to find creative solutions!

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Whether it’s a summer barbecue, a party or just a special moment in your

life, a delicious cocktail makes every situation just perfect. There is a wide

range of flavours available today suiting every taste. Whether you like it

sour, sweet, fruity or creamy, in most bars you are spoilt for choice. Yet, mixing

a cocktail is much more than just pouring and mixing different liquids

in one glass. Every drink is a challenge depending on the

right amount and order of the ingredients. Every bartender

will probably agree that mixing a creamy cocktail is the

supreme discipline. Usually, alcohol and milk or cream

do not go together. The mixtures often flock or even

clot. This is where Creamy Creation in Rijkevoort, the

Netherlands, comes into the game. As the name says,

the company is a specialist in creamy drinks with a

strong focus on creamy alcoholic beverages. In this

market niche, the subsidiary of FrieslandCampina is the

undisputed world market leader. Steven Alexander, man-

aging director of Creamy Creation, is positive that the

company will be able to accelerate its growth in the

coming years, too.


CreAmy temptAtions from the BArCreAmy temptAtions from the BAr


“The market for creamy liqueurs and cock-

tails has been growing constantly over the

last few years,” he says. “Experts expect

it to continue growing until 2020 at the least, at

an annual growth rate of around 3%. Of course,

there are regional differences. The European

market is quite mature, for example. Here, we

even expect a decline of 1 or 2% every year.

The United States is a promising market with

constant growth rates. At present, Latin Amer-

ica and Asia are growing at a very fast pace.

People’s average income keeps rising, and with

the growing emancipation of women, they have

more spending power, too.”

The product portfolio of Creamy Creation is

based on two main pillars. These are alcoholic

drinks and nutritional beverages. Accounting

for around 90% of the business volume, alco-

holic drinks are the mainstay of the business.

Here, Creamy Creation focuses on creamy li-

queurs and cocktails.

Creamy liqueurs and cocktails

In the creamy liqueur sector, the company

transforms traditional spirits like whisky, rum

or cognac into innovative taste sensations.

Combining flavours like chocolate, coffee or

nut with fresh cream, Creamy Creation creates

timeless and luxurious drinks that soothe and

delight your senses. Recognizing the signs of

the times, all the drinks are available in high

and low-fat varieties. The alcohol content rang-

es between 12 and 20%. If required, the drink

expert is able to produce a cream liqueur from

its clients’ own distilled alcohol. “Coffee-based

liqueurs are always popular,” says Mr. Alexan-

der. “We offer trendy variations such as latte

macchiato, double espresso or dulce de leche.”

The company’s fruity cream liqueurs are a

sweet blend of fresh fruit flavours such as

strawberry and banana with cream. “Popular

fruit flavours are strawberry and banana, peach

and mango,” explains the managing director.

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steven Alexander, managing director of Creamy Creation


“Yet, there is a wide range of exciting new fruit

flavours and combinations available. There are

endless possibilities to develop new creations

and recipes.”

The company’s cocktail selection is as tempt-

ing as the liqueur portfolio. There is a wide

range of batidas and piña coladas available,

sending you on a journey to sunny beaches

with all-time favourites like fresh mango colada

or fruity strawberry colada. All the drinks are

available with or without alcohol.

innovation: yoghurt-based cocktails

At present, yoghurt-based cocktails are in

great demand thanks to their light and healthy

nature. “Compared to traditional cream, yo-

ghurt is perfect for mixing with wine, soda or

juice or even with sparkling wine,” says Mr.

Alexander. “Ready-made sparkling cocktails

are also an option. Thanks to their low alco-

holic content, they are ideal for a low-calorie

diet. We developed our own technology, which

we had patented. This opens up a whole new

world of cocktails. Against the background of

the prevailing health and wellness hype, we are

recognizing a growing demand for our yoghurt

drinks. We expect it to last longer.”

high-quality nutritional drinks

In the nutritional sector, Creamy Creation fo-

cuses on high-quality drinks such as weight

management drinks, high-protein sports drinks

and drinks that are specially formu-

lated for inner health and well-being.

All drinks are tailored to the individ-



ual needs of the clients. Creamy Creation

covers the complete value-added chain

from concept development and R&D, contract

manufacturing and packaging, to consultancy

on legal and administrative affairs related to

launching a new product.

“It was just a small step to move into the mar-

ket for nutritional drinks as you need the same

technology,” explains Mr. Alexander. “Here,

our flavour know-how is an important

competitive advantage for us.”

A global reach

Creamy Creation is a subsidiary of Friesland-

Campina, a world-leading dairy cooperative

from the Netherlands. When Baileys was intro-

duced in the 1970s, the company started work-

ing on alcohol and dairy mixtures. After three

years of tests and research, FrieslandCampina

was able to commence production. “Next year,

we will have been operating as an indepen-

dently operating company for 35 years,” says

Mr. Alexander. “From the very beginning, we

have operated on an international basis. The

opening of our US business was a major mile-

stone in the development of our company. The

approval processes are just so difficult. We

started selling to US customers around 2000.

In 2006, we established our own supply point

in upstate New York. From there we cover the

United States as well as Canada. We are a true

global player today with customers around the

world.”

technology, creative power and service attitude

Over the years, Creamy Creation kept intro-

ducing unique technologies and products. The

company’s ‘Infinity’ concept once more proved


the company’s innovative strength and crea-

tive power as well as its customer-oriented ap-

proach. Infinity is a technology-based concept

of mixables made for acid drinks, for examples

with inclusion of juices. Another example is

what is internally called the ‘Pure’ concept:

Using oils from nuts to stabilize the drinks, the

drinks keep the natural flavours intact, deliver-

ing an exceptional natural taste profile.

“We make the most stable drinks in the world,”

says the managing director. “Our products do

not deteriorate easily and have an extremely

long shelf life. Our technologies are unique,

and our R&D department keeps working on im-

provements to our existing products and

on new creations. All our creamy

drinks are based on three major


components. These are cream, alcohol and

sugar. It is always a challenge to mix those.

Also, we lay great emphasis on our flavours.

We work with one of the best-known alcohol

flavourists in the world – Wim Koolhaas. Every-

body in the industry knows

him. He helps us to be and

to stay best-in-class.”

Last but not least,

Creamy Creation is not

just a supplier of drinks.

“We are much more than

this. We are a partner

developing solutions in

cooperation with our cli-

ents. We create tailor-made

solutions, and eve-

ry customer gets

their own formula-


wim koolhaas, one of the best-known alcohol flavourists in the world


tion. We identify our customers’ needs

and transfer them to concepts. Business

intelligence is a keyword for us. We initiate

portfolio management, make trend presenta-

tions and so on.”

The strategy is paying off. Creamy Creation

services distillers all over the world and is a

sought-after partner among movie stars who

aim to launch their own creamy liqueur. Draw-

ing on a dense network of independent bot-

tlers, Creamy Creation is able to support them

from A to Z.

“we are good at technology, flavours and taste”

In the coming years, international expansion

is high on the company’s agenda. “We aim to

enhance our market position in the USA and in

Asia,” says the managing director.

“In the long run, we might even

establish a subsidiary in Asia.

The global market is large,

and we still have to make

foot prints in new regions. In

addition to our expansion plans,

we will continue to invest in quality

programs in order to increase the quality and

shelf stability our products. Our vision is to

consolidate our market-leading position and to

continue our growth strategy. We want to be

the number-one partner for the whole industry

and the best-in-class in cream liqueurs. We are

good at technology, flavours and taste.

And we do understand the needs of our

customers. These are excellent precondi-

tions for further growth.”

frieslAnDCAmpinA CreAmy CreAtion Bv

Hoogeindsestraat 315447 PE RijkevoortThe Netherlands

Global Communication Manager:Darleen Peters

+1 585 344 3303

darleen.peters@ frieslandcampina.com

www.creamy-creation.com/en


BP 18 - 09201 SAINT-GIRONS CEDEX

Phone +33 (0) 5 61 66 01 63Fax. +33 (0) 5 61 96 09 40

[email protected]

Manufacturer and refiner of BethmaleCheese from the Pyreness

get one of 15 available cam-

paign codes for the march 2015 foodtec

issue!

+49 5971 921610


the Cheese wAy


The pioneering spirit has prevailed: When entering the premises of DeJong

Cheese BV in the Dutch town of Alphen, the visitor is surprised by the huge

volume of goat’s milk that is processed at the company’s facilities day after day,

made into wonderful fresh and soft goat’s cheese in many varieties. The dairy

specialist has always been a pioneer in the cheese making industry and already

concentrated on goat’s cheese at a time when dairy products from goat’s milk

were not so common.


“Goat’s cheese is popular in the Netherlands

and in the United Kingdom. In addition, we see

increasing demand from other European coun-

tries like Germany. On the whole, the market

perspective for goat’s cheese specialities has

experienced a considerable upsurge in the last

few years,” points out owner and director Ar-

jan de Jong. It was his father who started goat

farming back in 1985. Only ten years later, the

de Jong family decided to embark on cheese

making itself, producing goat’s cheese from

its own milk. When the demand for its cheeses

grew, the dairy bought additional quantities of

milk from other farmers. Today, some 15 goat

farms supply about nine million liters of milk

every year. “We stopped our own milk produc-

tion in 2003 in order to focus exclusively on the

production process, processing huger quanti-

ties,” says Mr. de Jong. “In 2011, we chose

the name DeJong Cheese to better market

our products internationally. By now, we al-

ready export 70% of our production.” DeJong

Cheese is constantly on the lookout for new

products and is able to adjust quickly to the de-

mands of its customers. “We deliver to the food

processing industry, among them manufactur-

ers of ready-to-eat meals. Just think pizza, pas-

ta and salads. In addition, wholesalers and the

retail market are among our customers,” notes

Mr. de Jong. The retail segment is still relatively

new to DeJong Cheese. Here, the focus is on

big supermarket chains rather than on small

specialist stores. However, for its specialist

clientele, the dairy has introduced a line called

Alphenaer, a more artisanal cheese in selected

ripening stages. “Only the best cheeses are

selected by our specialists,” adds Mr. de Jong.

The product focus is on fresh and soft goat’s

cheese and on specialities like Brie and Cam-

embert. “When our customers told us that soft

cheese was hard to cut, we developed fresh

goat’s cheese crumbles for salads and pizzas,

and we have also designed our own machin-

ery to meet product specifications,” stresses

Mr. de Jong. As goat’s milk is harder to come

by than cow’s milk, DeJong Cheese has also

launched crumbled cheese from cow’s milk.

In total, the company has three varieties in this

product line: two made with cow’s milk and a

third one that is made using goat’s milk. “These

three have just been introduced with new pack-

aging,” says Mr. de Jong. “A new brand called

Supercheese will also be presented to the mar-

ket. We will make Supercheese and our crum-

bled cheese varieties a success. Goat’s

cheese is definitely gaining in popularity.”

DeJong Cheese Bv

Het Sas 145131 RC AlphenThe Netherlands

+31 13 5081316 +31 13 5083301

[email protected] www.dejongcheese.nl

get one of 15 available cam-

paign codes for the march 2015 foodtec

issue!

+49 5971 921610

AlAin DuCAsse,

the revolutionAry of hAute Cuisine

AlAin DuCAsse, the three-star chef with french roots, merges haute cuisine with the concept of ‘naturalness’

the revolutionAry of hAute Cuisine



About Alain DucasseIn 2005, French chef Alain Ducasse set a so-far un-matched record. He became the first and only chef to hold three Michelin stars simultaneously for three restaurants: Plaza Athénée in Paris, Louis XV in Monte Carlo and Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York. His expansive restaurant empire also includes the luxury restaurant Le Jules Verne located in the Eif-fel Tower in Paris. The Michelin-starred chef defines luxury as the ability to use natural ingredients that are produced sustainably in small quantities. It is a luxury that he uses to particularly impressive effect in his Plaza Athénée restaurant, which reopened in 2014. The mas-ter of gourmet cooking is also the author of the culinary encyclopedia ‘Grand Livre de Cuisine’. Within its pages, Ducasse shows how much the Mediterranean region has inspired and moulded his cooking.

1956 Born in

Castel-sarrazin, in southwestern

france

2005 first chef to

win three michelin stars simultaneously

for three different

restaurants

2007 the standard work ‘grand

livre de Cuisine’ is published

2008 Ducasse

becomes a citizen of monaco

2014 reopening

of his restaurant

plaza Athénée in paris

It may have been a twist of fate that Alain Duca-

sse – after achieving everything possible in the

world of Michelin-starred cuisine – should have

slipped so easily into the role of a revolution-

ary. He has already been fostering his idea of

‘natural cuisine’ with great passion for 25 years.

It is expressed in the trilogy of ‘fish, vegetables,

grains,’” which can currently be experienced

in his relaunched restaurant Alain Ducasse au

Plaza Athénée.

He is the entrepreneur among the world’s great three-star chefs. French-born

chef Alain Ducasse presides over a gastronomic empire that encompasses

25 restaurants. He is quoted as having said he wants to elevate the status of

the French gastronomy sector to a similar level to that enjoyed by the German

car industry. He can only have been talking about its reputation for excellence

rather than its industrial efficiency because the vision he is currently pushing

ahead with is the most radical and comprehensive form of naturalism the world

of haute cuisine has ever seen.

where haute cuisine and nature come together

It is akin to gilding the lily and an insult to boot

when a natural ingredient is smothered in artifi-

cial flavours. That is why Ducasse wants to cel-

ebrate the natural flavours of the fish and veg-

etables he uses in his dishes and bring them

to the fore. He is also concerned with issues of

sustainability and environmental conservation.


“Nourishing oneself in

a healthier and more

natural way is an ex-

pectation and a neces-

sity that it is now time

to implement in haute

cuisine.”

Can this vision be com-

pared with saving French

cuisine, which for years

has been crying out for

new ideas and visions. The

Cuisine Francaise may have

been added to UNESCO’s list

of intangible world heritage

treasures in 2010, but parts of

its gastronomy sector do not

really live up to the accolade. Restau-

rants that have made an unsavoury name for

themselves by serving food that has been

warmed up in the microwave cast a small but

visible shadow over an otherwise exemplary

gastronomic landscape.

Maybe what is needed is the radical vision and

pizzazz of someone like Ducasse to take up the

baton and reclaim French cuisine’s position at

the avant-garde of international gastronomy.

His trilogy of naturalness has been many years

in the planning and therefore can be anchored

in a highly convincing concept.

It is not as if he does not have the time to think

everything through to the last detail. It has been

a long time since he worked as a chef for many

hours a day over a hot stove. Because of a se-

rious accident in the 1980s, Ducasse cut back

his cooking activities.

But is it really so important that he continue to

demonstrate his talent in the kitchen? No, as

a visionary and entrepreneur, Ducasse really

has nothing more to prove. The actual cooking

can be done by others. What is truly impor-

tant is that he is there to steer the business

and share his creativity, expertise and techni-

cal skills. That is what he does par excellence

and which allows him to continue to do great

things. Of course, he needs a team he can trust

to support him. That is particularly the case at

Plaza Athénée, where the ex-

ceptional restaurateur Alain

Ducasse is supported in his

dream of creating ‘natural

cuisine’ by his worthy pro-

tégé and Executive Chef

Romain Meder.

the trilogy lives

The menu is proof

enough that the trilogy

is alive. Dishes such

as ‘Quinoa cultivated

in Anjou’, ‘Vegeta-

bles from the Cha-

teau de Versailles’ and

‘Lobster from Cotenin’ show the way. The

names of the dishes are the key to the actual

restaurant philosophy; they provide the expla-

nation and logic behind the trilogy. Without a

garden, there would be no chefs. There would

be no fresh vegetables and luscious fruits

growing in the famous Chateau de Versailles

to be delivered to the chopping boards of the

restaurant kitchens just a few hours after har-

vesting.

Even the fish is ‘hand-picked’. It is sourced

from fishermen who still use traditional fish-

ing methods. They want to live their lives in

harmony with nature and take a stance against

the overfishing of the world’s oceans. The grain

that makes up the third element in the trilogy is

sourced from a treasure chest of rediscovered

ancient grains. Among them is red corn, which

is grown by farmers in the Basque region of

France. Ducasse is convinced that these sim-

ple products with their new flavours can enrich

and enhance gourmet dishes.

That is why we can have confidence in Duca-

sse the revolutionary that he will guide French

haute cuisine to greener pastures and give it

a fresh new look. He can always remind him-

self of his mission by looking out of one of the

rooms in the Plaza Athénée onto the Paris land-

mark, the Eiffel Tower, and cheering on himself

and others to never stop ‘working harder, faster

and better.’


serves 4

Prepare the vegetables flakesPeel and wash 2 young carrots with tops, 4 spring onions, 5 green asparagus spears, 12 radishes and 1 small tender fennel bulb. Cut the asparagus tips into pieces about 8 cm long. Slice all the vegetables into the finest possible flakes with a mandoline slicer or a vegetable peeler and keep cool.

Cook the quinoriPreheat the oven to 160°C (gas mark 3). Peel and chop 1 white onion. Rinse 200 g of quinori.Heat a flameproof casserole dish with 2 tbsp olive oil and sweat the onion for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the quinori and mix. Then add twice its volume in water (500 ml) and stir again.Bring to a boil, then cover and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Add 4 tbsp of chopped cooked tomato to the quinori and return the casserole dish to the oven for another 5 minutes.

DeliCiousGourmet RecipesCasserole of quinori, crispy vegetables and herb pestofrom “nature, simple, healthy and good” by Alain Ducasse (p. 335)

© F

ranç

oise

Nic

ol &

Jea

n de

l Mor

al

prepare the herb pestoWhile the quinori is cooking, wash and pick the leaves of 2 sprigs of chervil, 2 sprigs of coriander, 3 sprigs of parsley and 3 sprigs of basil. Peel and mince 1 garlic clove.Put in the bowl of the blender with 2 tbsp pine nuts, 2 tbsp argan oil and 6 tbsp oat milk.Blend until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, and pour the pesto into a sauce boat.

to finish your dishCombine the vegetable flakes in a large bowl and season with 2 tsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and 3 twists of freshly ground black pepper.Take the casserole dish out of the oven and add the vegetables to the top. Cover immediately and place the casserole dish on the table along with the sauce boat of herb pesto.Lift the lid so that everyone can enjoy all the aromas. Then gently stir the vegetables into the grains and serve.Diners can then help themselves to the herb pesto.AD- Quinori is a mix of red quinoa, long-grain brown rice, chickpeas, white quinoa and sesame.PN – A superb cocktail of vitamins, mineral salts, fiber, complex carbohydrates and vegetable protein, without a trace of gluten. This dish is highly nutritious so there’s no need for meat or fish on the menu, but a little cheese (to complete the protein) and a piece of fruit would be welcome.

Diversity AnD exClusivityDiversity AnD exClusivity

Gourmet Recipes


The Bordeaux region is known to be the largest winegrowing area in France,

producing more than 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine annually, includ-

ing table wines and some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in

the world. Les Vignobles André Lurton S.A.S. located in Grézillac, France, con-

tributes to this highly productive business sector. The old-established family of

winegrowers maintains seven vineyards on an area of 600 ha and pro-

duces four million bottles of white, rosé and red wine a year.


The history of Les Vignobles André Lurton

dates back to 1897 when Léonce Récapet,

grandfather of the present owner André

Lurton, purchased the historic estate Château

Bonnet in Grézillac, France. The surrounding

vineyards of Château Bonnet had already been

planted by the De Reynier family in the 16th

century and were continuously expanded over

the following centuries. Mr. Lurton took over

the family estate in 1953 at a time when both

Château Bonnet and Bordeaux wines were in

bad condition.

“At that point in time, the family maintained

vineyards of 30 ha,” explains Pascal Le Fau-

cheur, general director of Les Vignobles André

Lurton. “Mr. Lurton took the opportunity and

expanded the growing area to a total of 300 ha.

In 1965, he also purchased another estate on

the opposite side of the Garonne river, Château

La Louvière, which was built in 1792. By means

of long-lasting craftsmanship, the property was

restored and turned into a magnificent manor

house again. In 1991, Château La Louvière

became a historic monument and is today

considered one of the region’s most beautiful

estates.”

Over the past years, several additional pur-

chases and refurbishment regarding both

vineyards and estates have taken place. In

1973, for example, Château de Rochem-

orin was acquired, which was once home of

the famous French philosopher and author

Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu.

“At the present time, Les Vignobles André

Lurton owns seven estates: Château Bonnet,

Château Couhins-Lurton, Château La Lou-

vière, Château de Rochemorin, Château de

Cruzeau, Château Grossombre de Saint-Jo-

seph and Château de Barbe Blanche,” states

the general director. “The business itself

operates as an S.A.S., a private limited share

company with André Lurton as president and

his three children on the management board.

A brother of the present owner also main-

tains numerous vineyards under the name of

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pascal le faucheur, general director of les vignobles André lurton


Lurton and has made a name for himself in

recent years.”

At the moment, Les Vignobles André Lurton

employs a team of 200 people at its headquar-

ters in Grézillac and additional locations in Bor-

deaux. “Our vineyards amount to 600 ha, 470

ha of which are dedicated to red wine,” says

Mr. Le Faucheur. “Seven appellations provide

a broad portfolio of 27 different white, rosé and

red wines.”

One of Les Vignobles André Lurton’s most well-

known and prestigious wines is the Château

La Louvière, which is available in white and red

varieties. “Château La Louvière has long been

famous for its white wines,” explains the gen-

eral director. “In fact, they were praised by Ca-

nadian merchants as early as the 17th century.”

The elegant La Louvière ranks among the finest

dry white wines of the Pessac-Léognan appel-

lation and is marked by the varietal

character of Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Further-

more, the family of winegrowers is particularly

proud of its white wine Château Couhins-Lur-

ton Cru Classé de Graves. Its fruity characteris-

tics are determined by 100% Sauvignon Blanc

grapes, which provide excellent preconditions

for years of maturation. “In terms of volumes,

our Château Bonnet wines are most

popular on the market,” states Mr.

Le Faucheur.


“We sell more than one million bottles of

the Château Bonnet white wine a year.

Approximately 80% of its rosé variety is

exported abroad.” Apart from its broad range

of high-class wines, the winegrowing company

generates its annual turnover of 25.5 million

EUR by means of further services and offers.

Some of its estates, for instance Château La

Louvière, are open all year long to the general

public and are available for tours, events and

wine tastings. Events like general meetings,

product launches, galas or anniversary celebra-

tions can be hosted in the 150 m² cloister room

of Château La Louvière. “At the La Louvière

estate, we also have seven guest rooms avail-

able,” says the general director. “They are often

used by journalists or participants of events.”

Concerning its range of white, red and rosé

wines, the French company cooperates with

several distribution partners on the domestic

and foreign markets. “We have more than 5,000

customers from all over the world,” explains

Mr. Le Faucheur. “Only a small share of 10% is

sold on the farmer’s market in Bordeaux. About

50% of our production volumes are distributed

on the French market, for example to large su-

permarket chains, small wine cellars, specialist

stores, hotels and restaurants.” Les Vignobles

André Lurton’s most important export markets

are found in the USA, Canada, China, Sweden,

Germany, Belgium and Norway. “The Château

Bonnet rosé is particularly popular among

Swedish consumers,” states the general direc-

tor. “All in all, our export sales amount to eleven

million EUR.”

In terms of distribution, Les Vignobles André

Lurton places great emphasis on direct cus-

tomer contact. Clients often visit the vineyards,

cellars and estates to get an accurate impres-

sion of the winegrower’s products. “Constant

communication and public relations are highly

important in our business,” says Mr. Le Fau-

cheur.


“By these means, we have become one of the

most renowned and largest winegrowing com-

panies in the Bordeaux region. Les Vignobles

André Lurton has played an important part in

the positive development of this winegrow-

ing area. With Michel Rolland and Denis Du-

bourdieu, we also have two extremely capable

winemaking consultants who work hard to

obtain the very best grapes from our various

terroirs – with the greatest respect for the en-

vironment.” Speaking of environmental issues,

Les Vignobles André Lurton attaches high im-

portance to sustainable measures. Apart from

its international ISO 14001 certification for en-

vironmental management, the winegrower pays

great attention to biodiversity, lighter bottles

and packaging material, recycling processes

and reduced energy consumption.

In the future, this successful strategy will be

developed even further. “Wine tourism is an

essential economic factor in the Bordeaux re-

les vignoBles AnDré lurton s.A.s.

Château Bonnet33420 GrézillacFrance

+33 557 255858 +33 557 749859

[email protected] www.andrelurton.com

gion,” summarizes the general director. “It is

promoted by the government, municipalities

and local winegrowers themselves. In the time

to come, it will become important to strengthen

this position and invite more tourists and wine

connoisseurs to our vineyards and es-

tates.”

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greg koCh

AmAZing Beer for europegreg koCh, Ceo & Co-founder of stone Brewing Co.

AmAZing Beer for europe

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efJ: Mr. Koch, you are the CEO of Stone Brew-

ing Co., the first independent American craft

beer brewery to be to run in Europe by the end

of 2015. How can Europe benefit from craft

beer?

greg koch: Europe already has thousands of

amazing craft brewers that are making incred-

ible beers. For example, BrewDog (Scotland)

is recognized around the world. The tiny new

Vagabund Brauerei (Germany) has become a

very popular place for locals in Berlin’s Wed-

ding neighborhood. Baladin (Italy) is 20 years

old and considered one of the leaders of Italy’s

incredibly vibrant craft brewing landscape. Eu-

ropeans benefit greatly from having a quality

range of choice and diversity. Stone Brewing’s

presence will simply add to the diversity of

choices for discerning consumers.

efJ: Your European headquarters will be locat-

ed in Germany – a country which is regarded

worldwide as the beer nation and the master of

the art of brewing. How will Stone Brewing en-

rich the German brewery landscape?

greg koch: We brew styles that are completely

different from traditional German styles, and

very different from modern industrial styles. We

approach the brewing of our beer with the pas-

sion of an artist.

greg koch, Ceo & Co-founder of stone Brewing Co.

The craft beer revolution has Eu-

rope in its grip. One of the compa-

nies spearheading this revolution,

the cult Californian brewery Stone

Brewing, has chosen Berlin as its Eu-

ropean headquarters. From the end of

2015, on a site that previously housed

a gasworks, craft beers with unusual

names such as Oaked Arrogant

Bastard Ale will be brewed and sold.

European Food Journal spoke with

the CEO of Stone Brewing, Greg

Koch, about his beer philosophy and

Europe as a target market.

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efJ: Are we also talking about different flavours

and a distinguished attitude?

greg koch: Yes, yes, yes. And the main differ-

ence that you would probably expect is that

the flavour profile is bigger. Our beers have big

character, with rich flavor and aroma. Our beer

is completely different from the industrial beer

that the majority of the world drinks. Industrial

beer represents the lowest common denomina-

tor. There is industrial American beer, industrial

Dutch beer, industrial Japanese beer, industrial

Mexican beer, and yes, also industrial German

beer. Industrial beer has become so common

that most people know little else.

efJ: So this is a worldwide trend?

greg koch: Exactly. For centuries, brewing has

been a noble art, designed by and for the peo-

ple. Tragically, industrialization and pandering

to the lowest common denominator have fueled

brewing’s deterioration into a mere commodity.

So much so that most of the world no longer

thinks of brewing as an art. Instead, they view

it as something with little if any character, to be

purchased as inexpensively as possible.

efJ: But what about the famous German purity law?

Doesn’t it prevent the beer from losing quality?

greg koch: The so-called Reinheitsgebot is

nothing but a great misunderstanding. It’s nick-

named ‘purity law’ but has nothing to do with

purity. It is an antiquated tax law from 1516,

that only began being used as a marketing term

and relabeled as so-called ‘purity law’ some-

where around the 1950s. Modern industrial

brewers around the world are able to make

poor quality beer that falls within the technical

guidelines of the Reinheitsgebot. This will assist

in understanding the Reinheitsgebot:

http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/

reinheit.htm

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efJ: Well, the German purity law says that

beer should consist of barley, hops, water

and yeast.

greg koch: May we instead simply refer to it as

the “Reinheitsgebot” since it’s not, and never

was, a “purity law”? At Stone Brewing, 95%+

of our volume falls within the guidelines of the

Reinheitsgebot, but the flavors and character

of our beer would be considered very strong by

most German beer drinkers. We use dramati-

cally more hops and more barley, and our beer

is much much more expensive to brew.

efJ: It would be interesting to know about your

personal definition of purity.

greg koch: Purity means that we are not putting

anything into our beer that is not of high quality.

efJ: So, have people fallen into the trap of a

German cliché?

greg koch: Yes. The conversation in Germany as

in many parts of the world has been reframed

so much with this idea of purity law. Nobody

really understands what it means. It’s just

rhetoric and is often used as an excuse to sell

you cheap beer and make you think that it is

still okay. Cheap industrial beer with a “Purity”

stamp on it is still cheap industrial beer.

efJ: But industrial German beer is still success-

ful. The masses buy German beer here that is

produced by big beer companies such as the

Radeberger Group.

greg koch: Yes, industrial beer is still the leading

style beer around the world. If Germans want

to take pride that they are drinking the same

style of industrial beer as the Chinese and the

Mexicans and the Americans, they can relax

and continue to enjoy their industrial beer. It is

not my job to convince anybody they should

drink craft beer. It’s my job to make amazing

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beers. It’s simply for somebody else to decide

for themselves if they like it or not.

efJ: Don’t you address any target groups?

greg koch: My target group is people who de-

cide for themselves that they like good beer.

People who aren’t satisfied with industrial beer,

and want something different. When it comes

to other aspects, such as personality or demo-

graphics, I don’t know, and that’s not my busi-

ness.

efJ: But why is Berlin the place to be for your

company?

greg koch: We found a piece of property that we

really like: the historic 1901 gasworks buildings

in Berlin-Mariendorf. These buildings have a

unique and very special character, and they will

offer us the ability to grow and to create this

special environment for people who would like

to come and visit us.

efJ: The German capital is, after all, known for

its alternative culture and a huge landscape of

organic stores. And the Slow Food movement,

which you are also a member of, is strongly

represented there.

greg koch: Honestly, we didn’t pick Berlin be-

cause we thought that there will be any particu-

lar number of people that want our beer. We

know that the fans of our beer are scattered

across Europe. That being said, Berlin is a won-

derful place and I’m very excited to be able to

call it home!

efJ: Why are you so sure that the Germans will

enjoy it?

greg koch: Germans, like all people, really have

good taste. That’s part of our basic nature

as human beings. Because we are, after all,

99.999% genetically the same – aren’t we?

efJ: I think so.

greg koch: Well, the difference in taste

between craft beer and industrial


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beer is actually not within that 0.001%. It

is actually within our nurture…the result

of how we’ve been raised and what we’ve

been exposed to. So, if people don’t think of

themselves as craft beer drinkers, it is mostly

because they have not been exposed to it.

When we opened in San Diego in 1996, people

were not really aware of craft beer. Most people

didn’t even like our beer. It was very strange for

them. It just takes time for people to get used

to the idea that beer can be more than the in-

dustrial stuff in the television commercial.

efJ: Do you think that the future belongs to mi-

crobreweries like you?

greg koch: There is more and more of it. I trav-

elled the world early this year during a four-

month sabbatical. I went to New Zealand,

Australia, South-East Asia, Italy, Spain, Eastern

Europe and Germany, and found that small

brewers are growing like crazy everywhere. As

more and more people learn about craft beer,

more and more people are gravitating towards it!

efJ: How do you comment on the fact that peo-

ple are drinking less beer in Germany?

greg koch: Well, that is not a new development.

Beer consumption has been declining there for

many decades. I am fine with people drinking

less beer.

efJ: Why?

greg koch: Our beer is not about mass consump-

tion. We have been growing as a company by

greater than 45% each year on average for 18

years. I’ll repeat that: greater than 45% each

year for 18 years. I suppose that is an unusual

position in any business category anywhere in

the world. We have never advertised. And we

don’t make things that most people thing they

like. The people who do like what we do love

what we do – since we do it with passion, integ-

rity and character.

efJ: At the production level, we are talking

about different hectoliter numbers. For in-

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stance, the Radeberger Group produced eleven

million hl in 2012. What will be the dimension of

your production in Berlin?

greg koch: It’s fractional – not even a tiny slice

of that. However, there is not much of a rela-

tionship. If you look at a great chef restaurant

which uses farm-to-table quality ingredients –

do they care what McDonald’s does?

efJ: Will the ingredients for craft beer come

from the surroundings of Berlin?

greg koch: A lot of the ingredients will be of lo-

cal origin. We will also be using some American

hop varieties that are not available at other

places. But there are also new German hop

varieties that some German hop growers create

to keep up with the demand for the craft beer

style.

efJ: In what proportion will the ingredients be

sourced?

greg koch: It will be 95% European sourced and

ingredients, and probably more than half of it

will be German sourced. But I can’t say that

for certain. That is an expectation, not a direct

quote.

efJ: The new Stone Brewing Co. is an integral

part of a world of beverage, Slow Food and

beer production in Berlin-Mariendorf. What ex-

actly is the idea behind this world?

greg koch: We will create a destination unlike

anything Berliners have seen before. The res-

taurant and gardens will be expansive

and highly unique. Stone Brewing

World Bistro & Gardens – Berlin will

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be an environment that takes you away

from the harsh reality of over-commer-

cialization and brings you into our world

of artisanship. Our beers are big, bold and

dramatically different than traditional German/

European styles. The menu at Stone Brewing

World Bistro & Gardens – Berlin will highlight

local and organic food with eclectic and crea-

tive preparations. Our goal is to bring the entire

‘Stone experience’ to Berlin.

efJ: How many jobs will be created by Stone

Brewing in Berlin?

greg koch: We will begin with 70 brewery-related

jobs. Once Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gar-

dens – Berlin is open, that will add nearly 100

full-time and part-time jobs.

efJ: Would a US-EU free-trade agreement have

made it easier for you to gain access to the Eu-

ropean market?

greg koch: The biggest barrier for us is trans-

porting our beers that are meant to be con-

sumed fresh. It takes quite a bit of time, effort

and money to transport our beers to Europe.

By opening Stone Brewing Co. – Berlin, we’ll

be able to brew the beers and distribute them

across Europe. As a result, we’ll be reducing

our carbon footprint, getting fresh beers to our

fans and bringing down the costs associated

with having our beer available in Europe.

efJ: How will you transport your beer across

Europe?

greg koch: We will do it by refrigerated contain-

ers – sometimes by train, sometimes by truck.

efJ: And not by plane?

greg koch: No, the carbon footprint is too high.

efJ: What about the price for craft beer prod-

ucts? Good-quality beer justifies a higher price,

is that correct?

greg koch: Most certainly yes. But we do not

compete on price.

efJ: By what percentage will the price be higher

than the industrial beer prices?

greg koch: 1.5 to three times more expensive.

We make several beer styles that range at dif-

ferent prices.

efJ: People in Europe have the fear that Amer-

ica will flood the European markets with ge-

netically modified products. You are quite the

opposite of this. Can we regard your slow food

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approach as an American statement for

genetically unmodified food?

greg koch: I am against genetically

modified products, absolutely. But I also

would like to point out that America is

much much more than Budweiser and

McDonald’s.

efJ: Do you work together closely with

other European companies, and do you

still need business partners?

greg koch: Since we are a US-based

company, we are working with a number

of European-based companies – archi-

tects, contractors, equipment suppliers

– to help bring our vision to life. We have

not yet finished selecting all of our busi-

ness partners.

efJ: Are European companies interested

in selling your beer?

greg koch: Yes, we have importers and

distributors across Europe waiting to get

our beer.

efJ: What are the most important Euro-

pean countries for Stone Brewing?

greg koch: Germany is surely at the top.

Sweden, Denmark, Italy, the UK, France

and Belgium are also highly interesting.

efJ: Since you are the personality behind

Stone Brewing, let’s talk about you per-

sonally. As regards your appearance, you

seem like a folk-rock star to me.

greg koch: I once dreamed of being a gui-

tar player.

efJ: Who were your role models?

greg koch: Matthias Jabs, the guitar play-

er of the German band The Scorpions

was among them.

efJ: Are you sad that you didn’t become

a rock star?

greg koch: No, I am enjoying my life very

much, and I feel very rewarded with be-

ing able to carry forward the craft beer

revolution every day.

efJ: Do you have a song that best de-

scribes the craft beer revolution?

greg koch: The craft beer revolution is nu-

anced, varied and wide in its character

so that it is represented by the music of

human existence. For some people it

might be Vivaldi; for others it would be

Metallica. For me it’s both.

efJ: What is your personal dream as CEO

of Stone Brewing? Is it about delivering

some kind of American dream to Europe

– what do you think?

greg koch: My personal dream is to free

everyone from the chains of oppression

of low expectations, to get away from

over-commercialization and generic low-

est-common-denominator same-same-

ness and enlighten them to what a

world of craft beer can offer.

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European Food Journal

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