Sustainable, innovative and cosmopolitan: Why the future of German cuisine is in Franconia

The German Noma is located in Wirsberg. A small place somewhere in the deepest franc, surrounded by dark forests and green meadows. No comparison to the cosmopolitan Copenhagen. There is plenty of space for this-and real food enthusiasts. Instead of jealous of the "New Nordic Cuisine", make your thing: You are committed to a new German cuisine under the patronage of Mastermind and TV chef Alexander Herrmann:#boundless home.

"It all starts in the fields and fields at the sparring with our farmers," says Joshi Osswald. The trained cook is a food scout of the 2-star restaurant Aura in the famous posthotel. Osswald also leads the connected food lab Anima and is responsible for the fact that around 90 percent of what ends up on the plates is regional, sustainable, value-added and ethically justifiable.

"We have started to critically question years of processes," says Alexander Herrmann, who, together with Tobias Bätz, heads the 2-star restaurant. "And instead of obtaining the finest goods from all over the world, as usual in top gastronomy, we rely on domestic specialties."

Joshi left the kitchen team to track down the best products. With success: he discovered treasures such as Franconian bamboo, local caviar, Bavarian hazelnuts or even south fruits from the tropical house on Rennsteig. But his work goes beyond pure food scouting. In order to bring the meat of a nearby longhorn eco ranch, for example, the food had to be changed in coordination with international experts. Only one of many success stories. And then Corona came. Lockdown. With the courage of despair, it was decided to further obtain the food of the loyal partners. And to preserve them with new methods in such a way that they could be used for after-lockdown menus. Time was suddenly enough.

Since then, food has been rethinked in the food LAB (with ripening cupboards, rotary evaporators, salt chambers and koji-meal chamber ...). A sugar beet is smoked and matured for nine months until it tastes salty and deeply like ham. But it is not served as a vegan cold cut. Your culinary journey continues in Aura. A round dish is composed with melon tartar, Gazpacho and Liebstöckel vinegar gel. "The Anima has his own Würz world, which-so unexpectedly we can be-is second to none," enthuses Herrmann.

The aura remains down -to -earth, almost a bit wanted uncool. No Sleekes, urban concept-restaurant fits the province. "Signature Dishes" are called "dishes with history". You want to create a feel-good moments, no experimental plates. With Franconian self-confidence and humor: Because the dialect with the soft "t" of butter always makes Buddha, the aura serves a small Buddha sculpture of butter and sea salt for fresh bread. By the way, champagne remains as a reminiscence of the international star kitchen as the only non-franc on the beverage menu. Dogmatic is reluctant to do so.

From the beginning, Tobias Bätz and Alexander Herrmann hovered more than a new fine dining concept. They want to change the German food and gastronomy scene sustainably. And that also includes passing on new knowledge. That is why they are scientifically developing techniques with universities from the region, giving inspiration lectures at vocational schools, traveling to Soul and New York and founded #Freakstotable. In order to better network small producers and to carry their mission from the small Wirsberg all over the world.