Cook to Cook

Haus der Kulturen der Welt invites visitors to dinner at the restaurant "Auster" during the Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin 2011 for a culinary journey through the cuisine of Asia and Europe.

The head chef at Auster, Bernd Risau, and Yang Jinhua from Hong Kong will prepare a “double” 5-course menu. Using seasonal produce from the region of Berlin and Brandenburg, they will serve two versions of each course – one European and one Chinese. Diners will have the opportunity to enjoy contemporary culinary compositions from Hong Kong and Berlin.

Each dish tells a story, tells us something about its country of origin and, at the same time, bears the personal signature of the chef.

The chefs will cook the meal before the eyes of the guests, explaining what they are doing and comparing different traditions of preparing and combining the ingredients.

Menu prices: 68 to 80 Euro
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Due to unforeseen circumstances, the originally announced dates on 15 and 16 September have been canceled.

Bernd Risau was born in Rheine, where he completed his apprenticeship as a chef. He held positions at the Steigenberger Hotel Europäischer Hof (Baden-Baden) and Rockendorf’s Restaurant (two Michelin stars) in Berlin. Other stations of Bernd Risau’s culinary career included the Steigenberger Hotel Berlin and the Esplanade Berlin, before he became head chef to the board of directors at Berliner Bank and head chef in the Restaurant Französischer Hof in Berlin.

In addition to appearing on the TV program “Wissenshunger” on Vox, he and two colleagues also run the catering firm “Culinary Underground Lab.”

Yang Jianhua is “Jimmy”, the Jamie Oliver of culinary television in China. After completing his master’s degree in design at Hong Kong University, he turned his attentions to the restaurant business. While others might see this as a radical shift, “Jimmy” considers it a perfectly normal step: “painting is nothing other than composing with color, and cooking is the same with ingredients. And I aim to make people happy with both.” His travel experiences play an important part in his show, “A Thousand Flavors Workshop”, in which he demonstrates new ways of preparing Chinese food without glutamate.

The Asia-Pacific Weeks are kindly supported by the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin.