It boils down to passion

Art Director  |  Experience Maker  |  Visual Storyteller  |  Passionate Cook

Food has always been more than mere nourishment for me. My grandmothers were excellent cooks, and so is my mother – I learned a lot from them. Some of the dishes I cook and bake base on their repertoire and recipes. I was born in Bushey, northwest of London in the United Kingdom and grew up in Zürich, Switzerland. Both countries and their gastronomic traditions have shaped me – so have my many travels around the globe.

I am not a trained chef and learned my skills by watching others cook, reading books, taking courses, watching cooking programs, and asking many questions. I am always eager to try cooking different food and experiment with recipes – sure many times the dishes I made did not entirely turn out the way I wanted or expected. I learned from my failures every time and improved my cooking know-how.

Visually pleasing
I work as a graphic designer and art director, so food to me does not only have to taste terrific, it also has to please the eye. I put some effort and care into plating my dishes nicely; I love colour and textures on my plates. When someone smiles while I place a plate in front of them – that moment says everything and is gratifying. I want to give my guests an experience of surprise as well as comfort.

Seasonal and regional
Using mainly seasonal and locally sourced ingredients is essential to me. I also prefer to use organic vegetables and fruits. I am no vegetarian but take care that the meat and seafood I eat are from sources where they treat animals with respect.
Said that I of course also use ingredients that are convenient – like ground herbs and spices or, e.g., frozen peas and tinned tomatoes. You can simmer your self-made beef stock or make your Ketchup if you take the time – I am not a food snob and use ready-made products when it makes sense.

Against food waste
In a world where a vast amount of people still Hunger every day – something I genuinely believe can be solved – food waste is not acceptable to me. Tons of eatable food gets destroyed every day in so-called developed countries, just because it can't sell to the spoiled consumer. An apple doesn’t need to be perfect looking if you are going to make a compote out of it, yet many retailers and consumers refuse to buy imperfect looking produce and leaving food growers to let them go to waste. Many dishes I cook base on reusing leftovers – some food tastes even better after it’s reheated a second time.

Variety is more fun than the standardised norm; I appreciate that producers grow old, forgotten vegetable, and fruit species again. They not always look very appealing or are smaller growing, yet they are full of intense flavour.

Partnerships
Since this page started, I approach producers and distributors of products I like or have been contacted by them. I am always curious to discover new products and see how I can use them in my cooking. Of course, posting the recipes and the products are part of a partnership.