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3rd Gourmetsalon at the Schlosshotel Kronberg

3rd Gourmetsalon at the Schlosshotel Kronberg 1536 2048 Galia Brener

Last week was a very delicious one indeed! Being a foodie since I could chew as a child, I have always looked forward to any and all meals of the day. I used to run around the kitchen, annoying my Mama with thousand questions about what we will eat, what is she cooking, how is she cooking and when will the food be finally ready. Unlike many other children who simply wanted to eat quickly and go outside to play, I rather stayed at home to eat slowly, taking my time to taste and savor my food.

Needless to say, when my invitation arrived for the 3rd Gourmetsalon at the Schlosshotel, I was ecstatic! Not only is this one of the most beautiful hotels in this region, it is full of heritage, history, elegance and style. Keeping this in mind, I immediately started sorting out my dresses and preparing the ones that are not too tight around the waist – looking for the perfect one that I can eat in all night, in large quantities and nobody would notice! The magic dress that allows me to eat and eat and eat and not explode at the seam. Otherwise known as: a dream come true.

As we arrived at the Schlosshotel in Kronberg, there was a beautiful red carpet laid out for the guests and the excitement could be felt from miles away. Franz Zimmermann, the hotel director, greeted everyone personally at the entrance and gave us a warm welcome. Upon entering the lobby, we were given two cold flutes of champagne to enjoy. Across the lobby is a romantic Romeo and Juliet style balcony, where a band was playing and entertaining the curious guests. After most of the gusts had arrived, Mr. Zimmermann gave a speech and presented all of the Michelin starred chefs. I was incredibly impressed by the names that I heard. This evening we had a privilege to enjoy the creation of Philipp Stein, Marcello Fabbri, Alexander Hohlwein, Hans Horberth, Satoshi Fuji, Jörg Lawerenz, Cedric Schwitzer, Ronny Siewert, Christian Weber and Gerhard Wieser.

After the wonderful presentation of the chefs, it was finally time to eat! I could see how excited and hungry everyone was, and almost immediately the guests were gone and spread out into the various areas of the hotel. The cool thing about this event is that it takes place in all of the lovely areas and rooms of the Schlosshotel, including the large kitchen itself. I’m a huge fan of their kitchen, because it’s one of the nicest ones I’ve seen in a hotel so far. It boasts high traditional European ceilings and state of the art equipment. Of course being the little carnivore that I am, I directly made my way to the juicy steak and spent a while there, appreciating the perfectly prepared meat.

While in the kitchen, I met Gerhard Wieser, a two started Michelin chef, and had an interesting chat with him. Mr. Wieser told me that he is inspired by nature. He comes from Südtirol and grew up with the Italian, farming and Mediterranean culture. His mother was a cook and he learned the magic of perfect food from her. We had a lot to talk about, considering that we both love food so much! Gerhard Wieser is also a best selling author, having sold over 1.5 million books called, “So kocht Südtirol”. For tonight, Mr. Wieser prepared delicious tortellini with chicken, Parmesan and black truffle. Having an amazing Michelin chef, a famous author and lots of steak in front of me, I was compelled to ask him a curious question: what his opinion about the vegan lifestyle is. Mr. Wieser said that being vegan is like a fashion trend: it comes and it will go.

After eating all the steak and seafood that I can fill into half of my dress, it was time to fill the other half with the tasty delights in the other rooms. On my way out of the kitchen, I discovered the hidden Laurent-Perrier champagne bar perfectly balanced with fresh oysters. I was very happy to stay in this area for a while longer, enjoying the amazing Maldon oysters, delicious champagne, meeting new foodies and sharing our funny food stories.

Next stop for me was the red salon, which is my favorite room in the Schlosshotel. It’s warm, sensual, cozy and very romantic! There was a band playing all my favorite songs, which made the delectable goose liver cube in combination with rhubarb, salted caramel and Prinz von Hessen wine taste even better. What a spectacular explosion for the taste buds! I was very impressed by the depth of the various flavors intertwining into each other. I was curious to see more. Next were the restaurant, green and blue salon, which displayed more incredible temptations, including sushi, sashimi, fish, amazing dried meats, Norwegian scallops, pork belly, seafood, red shrimp, more steaks, desserts, pastries, pralines, fresh breads, delicious and rare wines, cheeses, chocolates and everything else that the heart, soul and body desire!

Slowly the second half of my dress was starting to become a bit tight. With a huge and satisfied smile on my face, I bid farewell to everyone, congratulated Mr. Zimmermann on a very successful event, looked back at the steak longingly, wishing I had more place in my stomach. It was time to leave the beautiful Schlosshotel Kronberg and make my way back to my favorite little cosmopolitan city with a big attitude. It was a wonderful evening full of Michelin stars, culture, wine, delicacies, exotic flavours, handsome chefs, music, champagne, surprises and delicious fun. I will definitely be back for more!

 

 

Life Is Too Short To Only Eat Salads!

Life Is Too Short To Only Eat Salads! 1280 960 Galia Brener

In order to start this column in the most authentic way possible, I have ordered a family-sized pizza, with a soft drink and ice cream for dessert. Often I find myself thinking, how long do we actually have to live a lovely, fun, happy and satisfying life? 85 years if we are lucky. We start thinking about our body image at the age of 15 until approximately 70. That leaves us with 55 years of worrying about being skinny, having the perfect shape, no cellulite, toned muscles, fitting into smaller and smaller sizes, and having those bloody skinny jeans laying around that we so desperately want to fit into, but mysteriously never “comfortably” can! We force ourselves to eat a salad everyday – over and over again. Daily salad consumption, for 55 years makes it…. 20,075 damn salads! Congratulations boys and girls, we are officially worse than rabbits. I think it’s time to start eating what we want, and feeling happy about it!

Hungry = Angry. When hungry, your serotonin levels are low, and hence you feel angry, and sometimes even depressed. My mom knows not to talk to me until I have eaten a proper meal; otherwise I become a walking monster. I get irritated, and short-tempered. Even worse than that, my stomach and head start to hurt. Believe it or not, the “evil carbohydrates” help to rebuild serotonin quicker in your brain, which is responsible for making you feel happy. So do not run away from carbs, because if eaten in the right dosage, they are your friends!

We live in a time where being skinny has become the definition of beauty. Maybe I really am from another planet and do not understand the Earthly ways, but aren’t our curves and softness what makes us women feminine and beautiful? Yes? Then why is everyone going crazy to become a teeny tiny size? Somehow between the 1950’s and today, something got terribly lost in translation. This makes me angry! Who the hell started this mass confusion, and is responsible for this ridiculous chaos? Every (good) single man that I have spoken to lately says that he would love to meet a woman with nice curves. Can it be that we women are making our own life so complicated? Then again, I remember my 2nd ex blaming me for becoming fat after a visit to Japan (Without him…) I gained 4 kilos, and he made it sound like I became a blimp. Thank God I got rid of that freak. I was in a new country, and he thought that I wouldn’t try all of the delicious exotic foods? I would give him up again and again for a fresh piece of Kobe beef!

My friend Anatoly was dating a beautiful voluptuous Brazilian woman. They shared a huge passion for food. They cooked together, and tried out new restaurants. Anatoly adored her curves. She was the perfect vision of femininity for him. When they got married, his wife started spending more time with the snobby neighborhood women. They assured her that all the husbands have younger, skinnier and beautiful mistresses at work. They were crazy paranoid witches that influenced her very negatively. She lost a lot of weight, and did not eat much with Anatoly anymore. Their shared passion has disappeared. She was constantly hungry, moody, and angry. The love was suffering. She lost her beautiful feminine curves, and her bones hurt him while trying to make love. She became a ghost of what she once was, and eventually this led to divorce. He loved her desperately, and tried to show her the light, but she was lost in her own superficial world.

Guilt = Fat. I will share with you something important that I have learned from my past. If I would eat something really fatty, or in large amounts, I would constantly worry about it. I knew that the calories and fat were quite high, and felt that it will cause my body damage. I gained much weight in only just a week! I felt guilt all the time. It was a psychological jail, with the torture included! A few weeks later I lost those kilos, and decided to make an experiment. I ate exactly the same food and amounts, but felt no guilt or remorse after. I felt good about what I ate because I knew that for this moment of my life, I needed this food. The carbs made me happy! I felt relaxed because I could eat what I wanted without feeling bad. Well guess what? Same food, same amount, and my weight did not change. Sounds unreal, but it’s true. It’s all a psychological mind game. Guilt attracts negativity into your life and body.

Soul food = Happy person. The evil burger is calling your name. You tell it to shut up, but it doesn’t work because you fantasize about its juices in your mouth. Go ahead and eat the damn burger. Of course I am not suggesting you to exaggerate every day, and get a heart attack, but a bit more pleasure with your meals will make you happier. My theory is to enjoy and eat what you want, but not to overdo it. Have your healthy stuff in between, but leave space for the treats and goodies that your heart and soul desire. Love yourself and feed yourself. Do not starve, because your body will not forgive you. And remember… life is too bloody short to live on salads!

 

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S.Pellegrino and Vogue Italia 2015

S.Pellegrino and Vogue Italia 2015 1200 944 Galia Brener

I was having a business lunch today at a very cute Italian restaurant in Frankfurt, when something interesting caught my eye. The green S.Pellegrino bottle on out table had a unique design on it, which is normally not there. Upon closer examination, I saw their traditional red 5-point star, surrounded with illustrated figures of women eating, drinking and carrying a breadbasket with baguette in it. How lovely and intriguing.

 

So of course being the curious cat that I am, I had to investigate further. Apparently this is a special edition bottle that is dedicated to Vogue Italia. What a wonderful cooperation: Fashion meets health. But wait, it gets even better!

 

S.Pellegrino is hosting a competition called the “S.pellegrino Young Chef 2015” on June 25-26th, in Milano, during the Expo. For this reason, Vogue Italia has gone into this wonderful cooperation, and both will give a chance for young talented chefs and designers from all over the world to show their magic and win the grand title. Their challenge is to come together and make a wonderful composition of taste, art and fashion. Wow what a great chance for young people to show what they’re made of – a true once in a life-time, dream chance!

 

The most thrilling part of the event – the finalists selection – will be done by a group of well-known food connoisseurs, and the young fashion talents will be chosen by the editorial staff of Vogue Italia themselves. That will be quite a dramatic event. I am really looking forward to that.

 

Bravo to both S.Pellegrino & Vogue Italia for supporting and giving young people a chance to achieve success and show their unique talent worldwide! I pay great respect to you and support your kindness.

 

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