Weʼve been working together for two years, why do you have V-ZUG as a partner?
I work in collaboration with V-ZUG because the company follows the same ideology as I do. We appreciate the same puristic, elegant design, we approach each day with determination and we seek out innovation. In V-ZUG, I have found a partner that is perfectly in line with my own values. It’s a wonderful partnership. It’s flexible, extremely open and we find it easy to approach one another. Both sides offer scope for creativity.
We celebrate 10 years of lifestyle. We Create Friendship is our new hashtag. What’s your spontaneous reaction?
#weCreateFriendship: I think that the addition of V-ZUG Youngsters was a great starting point. It has led to a friendship that extends far beyond cooking. And I’m sure that new members and anyone who comes into contact with the V-ZUG team will be welcomed with open arms. It’s a good slogan and it represents what we stand for. We create emotions, and friendships are also based on emotions.
Whatʼs your vision for the next 10 years? What could the ambassadors do?
Ten years ago, I was still an unknown chef, somewhere in the mountains. A lot has happened in these ten years and I hope that this continues in future – probably at a much faster pace than before.
10 Ambassadors create an anniversary dinner, each chef celebrates a course. Why did you decide to do a warm intermediate course?
I chose this recipe because it’s a great opportunity to cook fish in the V-ZUG steam cooker. It’s simple yet sophisticated at the same time. It makes you want to cook it at home too. The salmon is from Lostallo, the Italian-speaking part of Graubünden, where local, regional and sustainable produce plays an essential role. This was what inspired me to create this warm entree.
Do you have any serving tips?
When I plate up my dishes, I like it when everything is arranged in harmony and all elements can be combined in one mouthful. My “trademark” is that my dishes are plated up with the ingredients together in a heap. A lot of people think that I just pile everything up at random. But there is deliberate intention behind the casual appearance.
Do you use any special ingredients for this dish?
For the anniversary recipe, I’m not using any special ingredients, but rather preparing certain ingredients in a special way. For example, the onions are pickled for 3 weeks, then blackened in a very hot pan until the cut side is charred. Then I scrape off the blackened crust, leaving the onion with a caramelized flavour. It’s amazing what you can do with an onion.
What should eating be about today?
I don’t know if you can make generalizations about what food should be like today. Personally, I prefer serving up something I’m passionate about. For me, food needs to be honest and creatively prepared. It should be made with good seasonal and local produce, a far cry from shop-bought convenience food. Food should be honest, fresh and created by hand. People should feel good when they’re eating and not be afraid of food, and we shouldn’t count calories or pay attention to food crazes. Just eat things that do you good. We should all start simply enjoying food again.
From look and feel to smell and taste is our guiding principle: what treat do you particularly like to conjure up in the V-ZUG steamer?
I use the combi-steam cooker for a whole range of dishes. It’s hard to say which programme is my favourite. In my view, the steam cooker is an excellent addition to the other kitchen equipment. Most of all, I enjoy baking bread because the whole process can be done in one appliance – from proving the dough to steaming and baking at a high temperature. I think that’s fantastic.