CRUISING WITH RALF BOS
Thursday, March 2, 2017, 6 pm
In the dictionary under “self-made man,” it would surprise no one to find a picture of Ralf Bos. Opting for vocational schooling instead of the university track, Bos first trained as a cook, then as a restaurant management specialist. He went on to serve as tour manager for singer Ralph Siegel and eventually founded an electronics import company that he then sold for a profit. His next and perhaps most renowned stroke of inspiration was Bos Food GmbH, which he has developed into one of the most important gourmet food merchants in all of Germany. The company’s success has everything to do with Ralf Bos the man, not least because of his unbelievable pool of knowledge in the field that he gladly passes on to anyone willing to hear or read his words. A true ambassador in all matters related to fine indulgence, Ralf is an amazingly good entertainer and font of knowledge.
When Kirk Schoormann, in his capacity as managing director of the M. S. Schiffskontor, heard that Ralf was going to be returning to eat! berlin, he immediately offered us use of the “Arcona,” his finest craft.
Felicitas Then might have just turned 30, but she’s already lived several lives. She first earned a B.A. in English and Art Education, then worked for the BILD newspaper in Berlin before being accepted into the Axel Springer Academy. In 2008 she began participating in TV cooking competitions, and did more than merely best the competition: she destroyed them.
MAMPE is Berlin, and has been for over 160 years. As one of the city’s oldest liquor markets, MAMPE represents more than just an outlet for fine spirits. It stands for an unbelievable history, and countless stories. It’s also been a willing co-conspirator in generations of Berlin wit — in our grandparents’ time Berliners joked that you could save the money of going to the optician by visiting Mampe. You’d soon have a good reason for seeing double!
Austrians may have a reputation as nice folks with a preference for consensus, but when the torch is passed between generations at a business there’s always potential for a few sparks. We love hearing about the exceptions, such as the one offered by the Rachinger family in the Mühlviertel. Father Helmut and son Philipp stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the kitchen of the XXX restaurant at Hotel Mühltalhof. Philipp earned his father’s respect while learning his craft during stays in Paris, among other spots.
Weingut Robert Weil in the Rheingau region is one of Germany’s most important producers. The global rise of German Riesling is inconceivable without the groundbreaking work of the Weil Family. Dr. Robert Weil, a professor of German, purchased the estate in Kiedrich in 1867. When the Third Baron of Norwood Park, a wealthy patron of the arts by the name of Sir John Sutton, passed on in 1873, Weil rushed to acquired his vineyard property. While primarily engaged as a journalist, Dr. Robert Weil also began expanding his wine holdings. His uncompromising dedication to quality led to the rapid development of the estate and an international audience for his wines. Nobility from around the world strove to acquire naturally sweet Auslese wines from Weil. The prospering middle class also adored the wines, which were regularly featured in Berlin’s Hotel Adlon. A 1920 Trockenbeerenauslese Bestes Fass Nr. 20 from Dr. Weil’s estate enriched the wine list of the “LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin” airship on its maiden voyage in 1928 to New York.
The quality of craftsmanship emerging from Germany’s star kitchens has famously made leaps and bounds in the past decades, with a dawning awareness of the nation’s rich yet underappreciated trove of culinary traditions. One aspect of this has been a growing resurgence in regional specialties, including the use of heritage foodstuffs. “Regional and seasonal” has proven much more than a fad, manifesting itself firmly in the skillets and skulls of many elite chefs.
Do you like kitchen parties? Well, we hate ’em. And yet once a year star chefs insist on inviting in the public, looking to fill every available space in the kitchen with hundreds of guests. Which means long queues at the stoves… and if there’s anything we can’t stand, it’s having to queue up for food. So we at eat! berlin have organized a different type of affair. 8 guests and 1 nine-seater bus. We start with a leisurely visit to the Hotel de Rome where executive chef Jörg Behrend will plate us a fine dish from his “La Blanca” menu. And of course, a glass of wine. We’ll stand at the pass, watch the chef over his shoulder and chat a bit with the master.