Michelin-starred German chef Michael Riemenschneider cooks at his restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey, Aug. 12, 2020. After spending almost four months at home during the quarantine days, the chef opened his eyes to a quite new world where many people started to go local, shopping from a local shop, a local butcher, and eating the products of local farmers. (Photo by Osman Orsal/Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- A world-famous Michelin-starred German chef put a diced onion into a pan filled with olive oil, then cooked it over a slow fire for a while for a delicious confit onion at a private workshop in Istanbul.
"The slow cooking will tone down the raw flavor of the onion," chef Michael Riemenschneider told a young gastronomy student who has plans to be a chef in the future.
After moving to Istanbul with his wife Celine last year, Riemenschneider dedicated himself to the training of young Turkish gastronomy students and teaching them the fine and sophisticated details of being a chef.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in March in the country, the chef decided to open a fine dining restaurant in one of the most popular touristic zones in central Istanbul on the European side near the construction zone of the new Galataport Istanbul.
Located at an energetic part of Istanbul, filled with bars, night clubs, and restaurants, the port is expected to lure luxury tourist cruise ships when they were ashore.
However, nine days after the opening of the restaurant, Riemenschneider had to close it due to the "stay at home" calls of the Turkish government to curb the spread of the pandemic.
After spending almost four months at home during the quarantine days, the chef opened his eyes to a quite new world where many people started to go local, shopping from a local shop, a local butcher, and eating the products of local farmers.
"I am not necessarily talking about buying organic food, which is rather a label or a stamp that double the prices, but preferring homegrown products, which are healthier and more delicious," he told Xinhua.
Pursuing the new trend of preferring locally grown products, Riemenschneider also decided to seek a new location for his restaurant. This time the Asian side of the city, a calmer location away from the hustle and bustle of city life, was on his radar. The venue would also be near to the garden of his house where Celine has been growing fruits and vegetables.
"We will serve desserts created from the fruits of our garden," he said ambitiously. "If I make an apple puree from our garden, it is amazing. That apple tastes so much different than the stuff you buy from a supermarket. I know that there is no chemical in that."
He thinks that people's buying habits changed almost 30 years ago with the spread of the mass-production of almost "anything," and they suddenly stopped purchasing from locals.
Nevertheless, a total localization would be difficult as big markets also need to survive as well, according to him.
"You still have to buy a package of chicken from a supermarket because it is much cheaper," he continued. "Additionally, most parents are working, and they don't have nannies at home who would cook for them and the kids."
But yet the chef believes that homegrown vegetables and fruits, being more tasteful than those grown in glasshouses, will mostly rule the tables in the upcoming period.
Meanwhile, the confit onion was ready, and Damla Ercan, the 20-year-old student, seemed extremely satisfied with what she had got from the chef.
"Working with him is indeed a great chance for me," Ercan told Xinhua while washing the dishes. "His contribution is very valuable for my future career."
Riemenschneider had a string of restaurants across Europe, with some of them rated one and two Michelin stars. Enditem
