THE PRODUCERS WRITE THE MENU

The Head Chef at Zurich's Rechberg 1837 restaurant has a clear vision about the role of restaurateurs, how to work with producers, and what consumers should do. The fact that his ideas are not shared by everyone in the industry also applies to his family. However, he no longer has to argue about this with father and cult restaurateur Toni Navarro, since they no longer work together. Nevertheless, nutrition still needs explaining to the general public. And for Carlos Navarro one thing is clear: “the dish starts with the sown seed”, which is why he uses only freshly harvested, regional produce. So, the menu is written by the field and the chef has the freedom, creativity and passion to implement this in the kitchen. If there are no strawberries, lettuces or zucchinis because of pests, hail damage or too much rain, then it’s up to the guest to accept this. Such discussions provide an opportunity to share background information while simultaneously allowing the restaurateur to act as a role model by using what nature provides, showing what is possible with what is available, and that carrots are just sometimes crooked.