Chef Stephan Zoisl began his career when he was 15 years old. He is the perfect culinary partner for German appliance maker Gaggenau.
Zoisl grew up in Innsbruck, Austria, where he learned how to cook under the tutelage of his father, a professional chef. Since then, Zoisl has worked at eight restaurants, four of them Michelin-starred. He has over 18 years of experience in the culinary world.
Much like Zoisl, Gaggenau has a rich history. It’s been 333 years since the appliance brand was born out of Black Forest, in the old town of Gaggenau, Germany. It was founded by Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden as an ironworks manufacturer.
It first made nails, then agricultural machinery. It is the oldest and widest-distributed appliance brand in Germany.
Over the years, Gaggenau has expanded into the manufacture of coal-fired cookers and some of the first gas cookers. Gaggenau is credited with introducing European convection ovens, the pyrolytic self-cleaning mode and 36-inch ovens, to North America.
Making kitchen appliances may be a far cry from forging nails, but traces are evident in Gaggenau’s current product range. Its portfolio includes ovens, gas, electric and induction cooktops, ventilation, dishwashers, modular refrigeration and freezer columns, and wine storage units.
Gaggenau also produces specialty appliances such as steamers, grills and deep fryers.
As part of Gaggenau’s 333th anniversary celebration, Zoisl recently visited the Philippines and prepared a full-course meal that reflected the brand’s history.
As a tribute to Gaggenau’s nail manufacturing history, Zoisl presented a canape of hamachi slices, beetroot, assorted grains and spinach. “All these are rich in iron,” he said.
As a tribute to Gaggenau’s expertise in metal goods and tools and the development of the canning industry, Zoisl made scallops, cucumber, oyster leaves and extra virgin olive oil “caviar” served in a can.
“To help increase the efficiency of the Gaggenau factory to produce the first Gaggenau coal ovens, it produced bicycles,” said Katja Flann, brand communications manager of Gaggenau in Asia.
As a tribute to this period, Zoisl made a snow cod with squid ink risotto. The dish was presented as black on a white plate.
To represent Gaggenau’s postwar history in Germany in 1961 when it was acquired by the Von Blanquet family and later becoming a subsidiary of BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, Zoisl prepared duck leg confit, roast duck breast and pan-seared foie gras.
“This celebration is about innovation and reinvention,” said Flann. “We are celebrating culinary culture.”
For dessert, Zoisl made a Black Forest cake with edible gold. Named “Golden Times in the Black Forest,” the deconstructed master dessert is a worthy finale to the tribute to Gaggenau’s history.
Flann pointed out that while Gaggenau’s appliances are all visually appealing, nothing in the design or features is frivolous and placed there just because it looks nice. Every appliance is functional and every curve or line makes sense.
Every Gaggenau kitchen is a planned, highly integrated space based on a strong strategy. Every kitchen tool is an integral part of the package, a part of the entire orchestration. Gaggenau enables the final composition, offering chefs variety and flexibility.
Gaggenau is exclusively distributed by Living Innovations. Visit the showroom at G/F, Fort Victoria, 5th Ave. corner 23rd St., Bonifacio Global City.
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