< PreviousDutch collective Steinbeisser has taken the concept of pop-up dining to a new level, challenging preconceptions about design, ecology and the way we eat In 2018, Steinbeisser held a dinner in a greenhouse in the Merian Gardens, a botanical park in Basel. OPPOSITE PAGE: black radish tartes served on an “exploding” graphite plate by American artist Adam Knoche. AD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18210/12/2019 06:07:04 AM183 FOOD FOR THOUGHT Words Amy Bradford ESCA P E /G o u rm e t AD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18310/12/2019 06:07:21 AM184 ESCA P E / G o u rm e t “ Our projects are meant to be thought- provoking, delicious and fun ” A potato cracker served with fi nger cup spoons by jeweller Sophie Hanagarth. AD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18410/12/2019 06:07:31 AM125 TOP ROW FROM LEFT: garden herb sorbet with bitter cacao on a shovel plate by American potter Joe Pintz, Saratoga, 2016; cabbage, potato, chanterelles, walnut and lovage on a wire grid plate by designer American Luke Shalan, Saratoga, 2016; beet jerky and horseradish on a burnt-wood plate by designer Italian-German Othmar Prenner, Bern, 2018; a ceviche of fruits and vegetables with fl owers on a landscape plate by American artist Erica Iman, Saratoga, 2016. AD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18510/12/2019 06:07:49 AM186 HEN IT COMES T O FOOD , THERE ARE T W O TYPES OF PEOPLE: those who see it primarily as a source of fuel, and those for whom it’s about pleasure. Until recently, neither camp was too bothered about the origins of what it ate, but as the climate crisis accelerates, a new type of consumer is emerging: the ethical epicurean. It’s this tribe that Amsterdam duo Jouw Wijnsma and Martin Kullik, aka creative collective Steinbeisser, are trying to seduce with their Experimental Gastronomy venture. Since 2012, Wijnsma and Kullik have staged a series of cu- linary events around the world. They ask artists and craft- speople to make unique pieces of crockery and cutlery, and invite renowned chefs to be equally creative with the menu. There is one key stipulation: all the dishes must be vegan, and all the ingredients must be sourced from organic or biodynamic producers close to the event, or wild- foraged in the area. The idea is to challenge people’s beliefs about food, and their eating habits, in a positive way. “Our projects are meant to be delicious, thought-provok- ing and fun,” says Kullik, who points out how the inventive- ness of the artists involved can have unexpected effects. “We’ve worked with everyone from ceramicists to visual art- ists and stonecutters to reimagine tableware, creating unu- sual concepts that don’t follow the normal rules of usability. Over the years, we’ve seen that by changing the material, size, shape and even colour of a piece, we can not only affect people’s behaviour but also their sense of taste.” Thus, Steinbeisser events are as much psychosocial ex- periments as they are gastronomic adventures. Kullik was delighted to witness how, at one dinner, guests reacted to Japanese-Swedish jeweller Maki Okamoto’s unusual spoon- fork hybrids, which appeared at fi rst to be too awkwardly shaped for use. “People were surprised and perplexed by them, but this had an immediate impact on the feel in the room,” he remembers. “They started to engage with each other and even swap cutlery. It was the fi rst time we saw people loosening up because of the designs we’d used.” Having discovered that they could do away with the social stiffness that plagues many a dinner party, Kullik and Wijns- ma went further. In 2014, they collaborated with Dutch de- signers Renee Boute and Lisanne van Zanten on a series of blue and gold porcelain cutlery that explored colour psy- chology. “Blue has been linked in scientifi c studies to in- creased perceptions of saltiness, while gold heightens sweet fl avours,” explains Kullik. “We asked the chefs to reduce the amount of salt or sugar in certain dishes, and then served them with either the blue or gold pieces.” Afterwards, sever- al diners remarked on the noticeable saltiness or sweetness they’d experienced. The pair were also intrigued to learn whether they could infl uence the way we eat in the longer term, beyond the pa- rameters of an event. In 2016, they conducted a “slow din- ing” experiment with Estonian blacksmith Nils Hint, who creates cutlery using scrap metal and old Soviet tools. He made a series of large, heavy pieces that prompted diners to assist those around them. “It was a beautiful way to engage in communal dining,” says Kullik. “And because people of- ten had to put the cutlery down in between bites, many also felt they had started to chew more slowly and consciously.” This was important because, much as Experimental Gas- tronomy events are designed to be entertaining, there’s also a serious message behind them. “In order to change our im- pact on the planet, we need to rethink how we eat and farm,” says Kullik. “We believe that by creating vegan, ‘locavore’ menus, we might be able to change the way chefs cook, and inspire individuals to do the same.” For similar reasons, Steinbeisser insists that all its tableware is made from re- purposed, recycled and natural materials. This earnest ra- tionale is delivered with a light touch, however. Menus consist of multiple tasting courses that put a fresh twist on the amuse-bouche: think black radish tartes presented on American artist Adam Knoche’s playful “exploding” terracotta plates. A nomadic endeavour, Experimental Gastronomy has popped up in diverse locations. Wijnsma and Kullik seek out venues that are “beautiful while also adding to the experi- mental side of the experience”, such as a 17th-century man- sion in Amsterdam, a greenhouse in Basel’s Merian Gar- dens, a Californian mountain villa and even an underground warehouse in Bern. For 2020, they will be back in Amster- dam and Switzerland. Those who simply can’t wait for the next date should visit online store Jouw, where Steinbeisser sells the wares used at its events; picture London artist Jochen Holz’s wobbly glassware and Chinese jeweller Tala Yuan’s bowls made from calabashes, or bottle gourds. Be quick – like the gather- ings themselves, they’re all one offs. Steinbeisser.org; jou- wstore.com. Reserve via info@steinbeisser.org “We’ve worked with everyone from ceramicists to visual artists to reimagine tableware” wAD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18610/12/2019 06:08:00 AM125 CLOCKWISE FROM CENTRE: Taiwanese chef André Chiang, who created the menu for the Amsterdam event in 2019; herb salad served on a “pillow plate” by Polish potter Tomasz Niedziolka; bread served on “dinner creatures” by Belgian craft-maker Machteld Lambeets; German ceramicist Aino Nebel’s plates teamed with Northern Irish artist Sharon Adams’ twig spoons; a 17th-century Amsterdam mansion, the venue for a 2019 event; a dish of squash and spruce shoots on Othmar Prenner’s burnt-wood plate, with bell spoon by Norwegian maker Stian Korntved Ruud; German artist Katharina Dettar’s split stone plates paired with Sophie Hanagarth’s “worm tracks” spoons; Korean artist Joo Hyung Park’s “moment spoons”; reassembled broken plates by US studio Felt + Fat; cutlery combs by the artist Rachael Colley. AD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18710/12/2019 06:08:16 AM125 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Thea beet sorbet with oat cookie in a wax egg bowl by Zürich studio Atelier Volvox, Bern, 2018; barley risotto on a clay plate by US jeweller Myung Urso, with bell spoon by Stian Korntved Ruud, Amsterdam, 2019; poached rhubarb and raspberry powder on a hanging basket plate by British silversmith Kathleen Reilly, Amsterdam, 2017; salty apple sorbet and topinambur cookie on a cushion plate by German ceramicist Aino Nebel, Bern, 2018. AD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18810/12/2019 06:08:45 AM125189 ESCA P E /G o u rm e t Breaking sourdough spelt bread at the Basel feast in 2018. P H O TO : XR E IN J A N S S E N ; K A TH R IN K O SC H IT Z KI ; F A B IE N HAE FE LI ; E R IC W O LFI N G E R AD_182-189_Escape_Gourmet_10957677.indd 18910/12/2019 06:08:57 AMThe richly layered ground fl oor lounge. OPPOSITE PAGE: A mirrored spiral staircase leads up to the restaurant. AD_190-193_Escape_Gourmet Amazonico_11077086.indd 19010/12/2019 06:09:42 AMModern Brazilian restaurant concept Amazonico has just landed in Dubai and it’s already the hottest hangout in town Fever Pitch ESCA P E /G o u rm e t 191 Words Talib Choudhry Photography Aasiya Jagadeesh AD_190-193_Escape_Gourmet Amazonico_11077086.indd 19110/12/2019 06:09:54 AMNext >