Munich/Vienna. “What is the significance of good,
responsibly-prepared food?” On Monday in the Schönbrunn Orangery in
Vienna, top-class representatives of the gastronomy industry discussed
the varied aspects of this question during several panels.
Participants of the first ECKART foodlabs then exchanged their
knowledge of the producers’ market and put this knowledge into
practice with selected products from all across Austria and the
international Alpine region.
In his opening speech at the plenum of the Schönbrunn Orangery,
Eckart Witzigmann said: “We must find appropriate answers to the
questions of our time.” Wolfgang Puck and Franck Giovannini, winners
of this year’s ECKART, who were honoured the previous evening,
discussed the great cuisine of today with Eckart Witzigmann. “We need
the avant-garde to move things forward,” was the conclusion of the
high-calibre panel.
“The product is the star.” Under this motto several workshops
informed the audience about unique products from the Alpine region –
such as the citrus variety that has been cultivated for centuries in
the Schönbrunn Orangery, types of grains that are 24 million years
old, a wide range of cheeses from the Alpine region and honey vintages
from the last 30 years. Maximilian Schöberl, Head of Corporate and
Governmental Affairs and Chief Representative of BMW AG, commented on
the opening of the producers’ market: “True to our motto ‘The product
is the star’, we invited food producers from all across the region.
High quality, no long transport routes and sustainable production.
That’s how I imagine the perfect products.”
In the final discussion of the ECKART foodlab #1, prominent figures
presented their ideas on what the kitchen of the future will look
like. Rainer Nowak, Editor-in-Chief of Die Presse, drew the following
conclusion: “The kitchen of the future should be more educational,
healthier, more regional and more feminine. Anna Haumer, top chef from
Vienna, sees a concrete task for the upscale gastronomy industry of
the future: “The kitchen has an educational task. Cooking with
children is important so that they know how and which ingredients are
used to prepare what is on the table. Heinz Reitbauer from Steirereck
presented his vision of star cuisine: “It is important to create your
own profile. We want to enchant guests and tell stories. We have an
important part to play in the cultural landscape.”
The topic of communal dining was also examined in detail. Nowadays,
large kitchens have to strike a balance between the obligation to
provide and responsible nutrition, according to the tenor of the
discussion. “Good company catering is an image factor,” said
Maximilian Schöberl. “We offer our employees the same high standards
all over the world. We focus on a regional approach and open kitchens.
And we want to use our information campaigns to raise employees’
awareness of good food and to also share this knowledge with their families.”
Alois Adlberger, head of BMW Group Food Service Steyr, adds:
“Measured by sales, the BMW Group is one of the ten largest companies
in Austria and has an annual purchasing volume of 1.8 billion euros
from domestic suppliers. Our gastronomy at the Steyr plant makes an
important contribution to this. We already procure more than 80% of
our food from the region around the plant. Quality and freshness are
of course directly related to taste. True to the title of the
discussion “Class versus mass”, Adlberger adds: “Our focus is on
enjoyment. That’s what we learn from top gastronomy.”
The ECKART
The BMW Group and the ECKART Academy have been partners since 2012
and jointly award the international Eckart Witzigmann Prize for
outstanding achievements in the gastronomy scene and beyond. The
partnership is based on the common goal of promoting healthy
nutrition, sustainable cuisine and the responsible use of resources.
Previous award winners include Daniel Boulud, HRH Charles Prince of
Wales, Elena Arzak, Anne-Sophie Pic, Harald Wohlfahrt, Dieter
Kosslick, Ferran Adrià, Marc Haeberlin, Joël Robuchon, Alex Atala, Jon
Rose, Mick Hucknall, Massimo Bottura, Dominique Crenn, Andreas
Caminada, Tiffany Persons, María Marte, Alain Ducasse, and many others.
The award for sustainable enjoyment and social responsibility was
presented at a ceremony in Vienna on 19 May 2019.
BMW Group Press and Public Relations
Daria Nikitina, Corporate Communications
Telephone: +49 89 382-60340, Fax: +49 89 382-24418
Email: Daria.Nikitina@bmw.de
Mathias Schmidt, Head of Corporate and Cultural Communications
Telephone: +49 89 382-24544, Fax: +49 89 382-24418
Email: Mathias.M.Schmidt@bmw.de
Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com
Email: presse@bmwgroup.com
ECKART Academy, Executive Management
Represented by: Otto Geisel
Tel.: +49 (0)89 139
260 26, Mobile: +49 (0)151 65533070
Email: office@ottogeisel.de
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly
facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and
more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 134,682 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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