LA LOUPE Garmisch - Partenkirchen No. 1 - 2013/2014

after only three days there, I decided to become a chef. That was the right
decision! And working with wood is now my hobby.
L.L. ⁄ Is becoming a chef still a dream for today’s young people?
J.B. ⁄ It’s increasingly difficult to motivate young people for it. It’s a stressful
job and one has to work at Christmas and New Year, too. The numerous
TV-cooking shows have helped in making the job more popular but many
interested young people leave after three trial months. And of those who did
something else before only few manage to hang in there. But we even get
high-school graduates who apply for apprenticeships. I think that’s really
great because I know that with the right amount of passion one can get very
far in this profession.
L.L. ⁄ Do you like passing your knowledge and passion for cooking on to others?
J.B. ⁄ Yes, of course! Anything else would be fatal. When I was an apprentice,
the terrine was often prepared behind closed doors in order to prevent any
secrets from coming out. So we basically had to try and copy what we saw,
‘steal with our eyes’, so to say. But as a chef one has to always try new things
and prove one’s skill. In this job it’s very important to be very sensible in
order to be successful and stay happy in the job.
L.L. ⁄ The best compliment a guest can pay you?
J.B. ⁄ Instead of ‚now that tasted really great‘, I’d rather hear ‘You know
what, we’ve been coming here for years now and it’s always tasted equally
good!’. Because I’d rather produce constant and consequently high quality
instead of a highlight here and there. That’s something our guests keep telling
us and that’s why we have so many regulars.
L.L. ⁄ Even when you’re not standing at the stove you like art – you make
objects from driftwood. How did that happen?
J.B. ⁄ That’s something that started with the kids. We were out and about a
lot, to unwind in the nature, after work. And that’s how, after a flood, we
found driftwood by the river. Just like cooking, designing objects is something
that requires an inventive spirit. I make all kinds of things, lamps
and mobiles, for example.
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L.L. ⁄ Is there somewhere one can admire your objects?
J.B. ⁄ Yes, in Grainau, where my parents have a small delicatessen manufacture.
My art is exhibited and for sale there.