Cornelia Poletto has often asserted herself as the only woman in an absolutely male domain: in the top kitchen. Today she runs her own restaurant in Hamburg, which, despite the crisis and inflation, is fuller than ever: “Of course that’s nice for us top chefs, but it’s bad for the other side.” In January, the aid organization Oxfam released a report showing that extreme wealth and extreme poverty increased simultaneously for the first time in 25 years. In hardly any other industrial nation are assets distributed as unequally as in Germany. This means that nationwide people are queuing in front of the panels. On the other hand, the champagne stocks of luxury brands such as Dom Pérignon or Krug are running out.
These examples show: food connects, but it also divides. In the 469th episode of the “Today important” podcast, Cornelia Poletto tells us that she too had to register short-time work for the employees in her restaurant in Corona times. Fortunately, the guests are back today, the shop is well stocked. That’s why she also sees a positive aspect of her situation: “The crises we’re in right now – inflation and high food prices – that shakes you up and makes you more aware.” The guests, who can afford her top-quality cuisine, want to distract themselves, says Poletto, and put aside their own worries of everyday life: “They don’t want to hear any crisis stories from us. They want to hear how proud I am that I have this crispy fish, that the chicken on my menu was a happy chicken and that the vegetables taste so good because they come from the organic farm around the corner.”
The top chef also talks to “today important” editor Laura Csapó about what nutrition could look like in the future. Many people deal more critically with fish and meat and eat a larger proportion of plants. This is slowly but surely arriving in star cuisine. In 2020, the “Seven Swans” in Frankfurt was the first fully vegan restaurant to receive a star from the Michelin Guide. Cornelia Poletto also serves animal products in her restaurant, but they don’t always have to be the “star of the dish”: “Fish and meat should be luxury products. I’m a self-confessed meat and fish eater, but compared to ten years ago I only eat one – up to twice a week of it.” Poletto therefore thinks the development towards a more plant-based diet is right, even if she doesn’t believe in the trend towards vegan substitute products: “If I feel like eating Wiener sausages and then get Wiener sausages glued together from some protein, I find it difficult.”
For more than ten years, Poletto defended the Michelin star, one of the most prestigious awards in gastronomy. She is best known as a television chef in programs such as “Die Küchenschlacht” or “Lanz kocht”. Today she runs, among other things, the restaurant “Cornelia Poletto” in Hamburg and her own cooking school.
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