On 14 and 15 February, Hotel Cap Polonio in Pinneberg welcomed a special guest chef for the 28th Schleswig-Holstein Gourmet Festival: Kolja Kleeberg, the mulit-talented chef of TV fame. His creativity and experience as an actor, singer and host make him an artist who appeals to all the senses – he knows how to inspire. “I couldn’t image my life without music, but my heart yearns for creative cooking,” says Kolja Kleeberg. The family-run Hotel Cap Polonio just north of Hamburg had a long waiting list, showing great interest in the culinary artist.
“A good cook needs to mature, much like the ingredients for my food,” says the head of the Michelin-starred restaurant VAU in Berlin, which is currently celebrating its 18th anniversary.
When asked about the preparation for the festival menu, Kleeberg said: “I bow to the host with a choice of products from his region, I stick to the season and I will prepare food that many people will like.” He and his team prepared the following 5-course menu:
Marinated salmon with sour cream, beetroot and dill
Turnip soup with Pétoncle, marjoram and walnut butter foam
North Sea cod with green cabbage, beans and veal sausage
Braised shoulder with three kinds of carrot, pumpkin seeds and mustard
Variation of Valrhona chocolate with bitter orange
The mood in the kitchen was relaxed, the two teams worked quickly and concentrated as if they had always been standing in the kitchen together. Kolja Kleeberg took position at the pass and was always open for questions from interested guests, or a joke with colleagues.
For more information, please visit www.gourmetfestival.de
Images © S. Plaß