Food FOUR Thought

21 Mar 2014
|
3 min read
Marian Schneider, Culinary Director of Michelin-starred LAGO tells FOUR about the concept behind the restaurant and it’s recent Michelin star…

How did you start your culinary career?

As every ambitious young chef the first 10 years of my career were spent working in a different gourmet restaurant every year. I competed in a lot of culinary competitions during that time. In 2009 I received the “Hospitality Career Award” for the best young manager in Germany in hospitality and I decided to follow the culinary path.

What are your culinary inspirations?

The inspiration comes from Klaus Buderath [Head Chef] and the Team. I am more about the conception of culinaryideas and design. We don’t want to change the world, our work is based on the gourmet gastronomy as we know it. Our goal is to create something where guests can participate, not only by eating our food, but also by understanding our work behind the scene. Casual dining is one way to open gourmet cuisine to a wider spectrum of guests.

What is your culinary philosophy?

Nice cooking is generally not enough anymore. We are looking for more. This is why we embarked on our experiential concept: “The indulgence-faculty”. We separate each year in six special culinary fields, changing every two months. Each field includes an 8 course menu, which has its conceptual design and content referring to the field, a movie trailer and a lecture. During the lecture guest speakers divulge information about the ingredients, the preparation and work that stands behind each course.

How does the team at LAGO lead the guests’ fine-dining experiences?

The whole team (service & kitchen) is well experienced in the fine-dining world. They’ve worked in 1-3 Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world. It’s not possible to start a “gourmet revolution” without knowing about how the gourmet world works.

What experience do you hope your guests have when they arrive at LAGO?

We are giving the guests what they expect from a 1 Michelin star restaurant, but pushing the boundaries of what perhaps they are used to. We celebrate sustainable foods and try to spread the word about sustainability. In April we are starting our own apiary. Future plans are also going ahead to launce our own bakery, distillery, smokehouse and more. All of them will involve guest interaction.

LAGO has been awarded many times now. Is a Michelin Star something that you were aiming for?

We are definitely proud of it! It also helps to get recognised in the gourmet world and gives you the freedom to follow your own path. Nobody believed that we were able to reach the Michelin star with our staff-mantra, “fair gourmet”. I initiated the concept to give people a home in the gastro-world. The staff’s shifts are 9 hours per day and they have 2 days off per week. How can you expect people to create new ideas and to give the best every day when they are working flat out each day?

What has been your culinary highlight so far?

The fish courses of Jonas Lundgren

Bagatelle, Oslo Eyvind Hellström

Can you tell us how you create your menu?

I might be the initiator of some of the ideas but it is the team that brings them alive.

The creative mind in the kitchen is Klaus Buderath and his Sous-Chef Matthias Pietsch. The 6 fields (for example: storage & cellar in January and February) sets the frame for the menu.

Describe LAGO’s style in three words…

Klaus Buderath: form, follows, function.

What can we expect from you, the team and LAGO in the coming year?

Our goal is create a complete culinary concept that will change the guests view on culinary art.

If you could go anywhere in the world, just for one meal, where would it be and why?

Rasmus Kofoed / Restaurant Geranium / Copenhagen; he deeply impressed me at the Bocuse d‘Or in 2011.

Check out Marian’s chef profile .

Lago

89073, Ulm, Friedrichsau 50

Tel: (0 731) 2064000

lagogenusswerkstaetten.de