V-ZUG Inspirations Magazine - Magazine - Page 32
PRECISION AND PLEASURE
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meat, for example, or doing research around gut health
and the microbiome. So, there’s a lot happening on that
level. At the same time, on a smaller scale, I recently had
dinner at a place where the chef completely rethought his
menu, which is now mostly plant-based for sustainability,
using entirely local, seasonal produce and using every
single part, from peel to seeds, so that nothing is wasted.
It’s very innovative because it’s technical and complex,
but at the same time very simple, rooted in local produce
and tradition.
DP
Rolf, we’ve just been talking about how Switzerland
balances progress with tradition. Hiltl has been doing
exactly that for 125 years, how have you managed to
evolve and embrace global influences while staying
rooted in your heritage?
RH
Back in 1898 the menu was simple: Knödel, Sauerkraut,
local dishes. Today, a century later, we’re very international, but in a way, that shift started much earlier. My
grandmother was invited to Delhi in 1953 for the International Vegetarian Congress, representing Switzerland.
At that time, travelling to India alone was a big thing, but
she stayed for two months, cooked with families there,
made friends that we’re still connected to today and
came back with cases full of spices, recipes and ideas.
She started cooking Indian food privately in our kitchen
and serving it quietly to Indian guests, a kind of guerrilla
kitchen. That’s how it began, and my father carried that
DNA forward in the 1970s with an Indian tea corner in
the restaurant. My grandmother inspired us. That’s why
we’ve always looked beyond Switzerland, it can be limiting if you’re stuck only in your own tradition, you have
to embrace progress. Authenticity is crucial. If we introduce another cuisine, we respect it. We try to get chefs
from that culture and really understand the roots. I don’t
like mixing everything together until it loses its identity.
When we develop new dishes, we always ask, “Where is
this from? What’s the inspiration?” That respect for origins is very important.
DP
CL
How does the design and atmosphere of a kitchen or
restaurant shape not just what we cook, but how we
feel, eat and come together?
You’re deeply influenced by the atmosphere you’re in. If
you’ve got a beautifully designed kitchen, a nice stone
counter, a wooden cutting board, versus something cheap
and plastic, it changes how you cook. You’re inspired. You
put more love and care into what you’re doing. Kitchens
today aren’t the back rooms anymore. We’ve knocked the
walls down in restaurants and at home, so they become
the heart, of the home and that brings people together.
Cooking has become something you share. It’s entertainment. It’s inviting people to be part of the process.
CJ
I completely agree, the design of the kitchen has a huge
impact. If a space is cluttered or chaotic, that affects how
we feel while cooking and eating. Our emotional state
carries onto the food and even influences digestion.
The same meal eaten standing up in a rush or in front
of the TV is processed completely differently than when
it’s eaten sitting down in a relaxed environment. The
kitchen is also a place for sharing, involving children in
washing vegetables, chopping, being part of the process.
That helps build a positive relationship with food for the
future. It’s where recipes are passed on. It’s not just a lab,
it’s where skill and soul come together.
DP
Has eating well become something we feel pressured
to “get right” when in reality, it might be much simpler and more personal than we’ve made it?
CJ
I think one of the biggest mistakes today is the idea that
eating well requires perfection or rigidity. Every January
we decide to overhaul everything and then we fail, feel
miserable, fall off the wagon, and start again. That cycle
tends to backfire. Health isn’t really about eliminating
foods, it’s about building patterns you can sustain for
the long term. Starting small instead of perfect, making
changes gradually so they become pleasurable because
if eating well feels bland or restrictive, you simply won’t
stick to it. There’s also this nutritional absolutism right
now; carbs are bad, sugar is toxic, fats are fattening, fasting is superior, protein has to be everywhere, but health
is rarely extreme. It’s contextual, relational. It depends on
the whole person, on their lifestyle, stress levels, genetics. We like to box things into black and white categories
because it feels easier, but the truth is usually somewhere
in the middle.
RH
Hiltl actually started as a health issue. My great-grandfather, the founder of Hiltl, was from Germany. He came
from a farming family with many children, too many for
the land to support, so someone had to leave, and at 20
years old he went to Zurich to work as a tailor. Shortly
“Mindful eating is about presence. It can be as simple as taking one breath
before starting a meal. It’s about taking a moment between the urge to eat
and the act of eating, and once you learn that, it becomes a natural, gentle
way to honour your body.”
CHIARA JASSON
