Otto Koch, a German chef, who worked in various top restaurants in Switzerland and France, and is widely known for being television chef on the ARD-Buffet programme, told Daily News Egypt that he does not repeat the dishes twice but he always tries to find the best food he can.
As a young man, the 56-year-old Bavarian-born Koch trained at some of France’s top institutions, including Taillevent in Paris. Today his food is mature and modern, and bears his trademarks of simplicity, honesty and touch of surprise.
In Munich, his two most famous dishes included a perfect mushroom cake, layer after layer of the thinnest of crepes alternating with an earthy filling.
But perhaps his most famous creation was a bone marrow extravaganza: He scooped out the marrow, sliced the bones horizontally, and then filled the “boats” with a nutmeg-infused potato purée topped with crispy rounds of marrow seasoned with chives and freshly ground black pepper.
Koch won honorary certificate from the former Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Walter Scheel for exceptional services to the art of cooking in Germany.
Bringing international cuisines in Egypt annually, chef Koch said that the event is a whole week with at least one special dish from one of the chefs, explaining the beauty of showing the people what the basic product might look like if it is done by international professional. He said he loves the Egyptian desserts so much.
During the annual “Golf and Gourment Golf Week” hosted by Somabay on 20 February, seven Michelin Star celebrity chefs came with their special recipes to share with Egyptians. Daily News Egypt interviewed the Executive Chef Koch, getting into the secrets of the kitchen and its international cuisines.
In annual events did you love to prepare a certain dish each time?
It’s not necessary for us to repeat dishes, because we always go out and see what we can find on the best products we know, we can get on the past parts of the world, and when we find this stuff we try to make something. Everyone of me and chefs does one specialty from one item we think is luxury class. So this is the reason why we try to make something new and creative from somebody (our chefs) and then make new presentation with new side dishes, new combinations, and new seasoning, and this is we want to make to our clients giving them the feeling of being astonished, expecting more than you can expect.
You have multiple cuisine dishes, you do not just depend on a certain cuisine like the Italian for example, right?
No, we are playing always for ideas with the best product. If we find something here, we are guests here in Egypt, and if we find a product which is really well class we try to give people an idea of a creative developed dish which is based on the Egypt cuisine and this means we always want to give people our hands, and tell them we are friends. Come here to make something together to develop kitchen and to also develop product.
We would like to know about the different tastes, the hotel here welcomes all kind of people, do you feel that all would enjoy the kind of dishes you choose or maybe they will ask to change this or that?
We always try to explain what we are making because some of the stuff we make could look a little strange, because strange is always a subject you did not see before, we give them the idea of creative international cuisine with the best product you can find.
Do think the golfer prefers a certain cuisine? And do you consider them while putting down the menu?
Since I play golf myself for more than 14 years, I know what a golfer likes. If they are under round or after the round, they just want to have short and quick plate and something to drink but afternoon and evening they want to have a feast, something special, something they do not expect, but it is luxury so you get the best products made by chefs they know what to do and this is here something people accept.
Do you have preferences when it comes to Egyptian cuisine?
Yes, what I really like very much the unbelievable variety of desserts of sweet dish here in Egypt, this is really hard to me to resist not grabbing another one.
