The young talents can rethink creatively and plan spontaneously - and they are passionate about what they do. They prove themselves in competitions and develop exciting gastronomic concepts that are well received. The training paths are also more diverse than ever. For schoolchildren, there is a vegetarian school cookbook that takes a critical and motivating look at the effects of our diet, and even the very youngest are introduced to the topic of nutrition in a playful way on apple orchards.
Vorbilder
The young wild ones stand out - also in Zurich. The Limmat city is known for its innovative strength and so there are plenty of young gastro talents here who are realising new ideas and their biggest dreams. They are role models for the young and creative gastro newcomers who are already waiting in the wings.
The "marmite youngster" is a unique nationwide competition for talented young professionals in the Swiss gastronomy sector and was launched in 2011. The young talents compete against each other in the categories of cuisine, service, sommellerie and pâtisserie. The winners are announced in a live show.
Luca Frei and Ramon Ibello, the nomads, who also contributed our June recipe, are among the shooting stars of the young savages. The two set up a kitchen in the co-working space "Das Provisorium" in Zurich Binz, where they spent hours tinkering. One of their first projects was "Coffee & Cones", where they served fine coffee in Cornet waffles. Maybe, if you were lucky, you also got to try their Zopf-Glacé at their no gelateria at Letten last summer. All their creations are plant-based, but they don't even put that down. They are simply interested in the best taste and the fact that no animal products are necessary for this is a matter of course for them.
Another shooting star is Noah Rechsteiner, who started his pop-up "Anoah" and has now opened the restaurant of the same name with plant-based cuisine. His famous vegan paella pan can also be enjoyed outdoors at the "Hofkino" this summer. Another restaurant that belongs to every city visit in Zurich is "Zur goldige Guttere" by the two up-and-coming restaurateurs Linda Hüsser and Meret Diener. The focus here is on homemade food, carefully curated seasonally changing monthly menus and small details that, when put together, create an unforgettable whole.
Jugendliche
Good young people need good training: To this end, there are plenty of progressive training centres in and around Zurich for a wide range of disciplines.
Zurich General Vocational School ABZ
The Allgemeine Berufsschule Zürich ABZ provides a good overview of the various training programmes. In order to promote the talents of the students, an attractive range of free courses and specific talent promotion measures are available. For example, there are bilingual classes or, since 2019, a talent class for the culinary faculty: special talents among the students are united in one class and intensively promoted.
Hotel Management School Zurich
A life in the hospitality industry is full of surprises, assertiveness and passion. The Hotel Management School Zurich offers an attractive full-time course of study. Withthe 2022 curriculum, the Hotelfachschule Zürich is becoming more compatible: the study programme can now be optimally linked to completed vocational apprenticeships or school-based training. Anyone who would like to take a look can get an idea at the Open House.
Strickhof
Strickhof is the centre of excellence in agriculture, food and home economics and is a department of the Office for Landscape and Nature (ALN) of the Canton of Zurich's Department of Construction. It offers a wide range of training opportunities for young people at four locations in Switzerland: Farmer, vintner, food technologist or animal keeper, to name but a few. Here you can learn, for example, how farming works without herbicides or how to keep house in a sustainable way.
ZHAW Institute for Food and Beverage Innovation
"We understand food" is the holistic approach taken by the Institute for Food and Beverage Innovation (ILGI) in Wädenswil. In the Bachelor's and Master's programmes, students learn and develop enjoyable, healthy and sustainable foods together with their lecturers. The aim is to develop products and solutions that optimally satisfy people's nutritional needs. To achieve this, they take into account all developments in society, the economy, technology and nature that are relevant to food. The institute is close to practice and innovative thanks to many cooperations.
IN DER SCHULE
In order for young people to be able to compare their lifestyles and also assess their consumption, they - like all of us - need knowledge. This is taught to them at school, among other things, with the "Greentopf", the cooking teaching aid with vegetarian and vegan recipes and background knowledge about the most important foods from plant-based cuisine. The project was developed by class teacher Franziska Stöckli with her pupils from timeout classes in cooperation with the "Hiltl Academy" in Zurich.
Another important topic when it comes to current nutrition is food waste: what this actually is and how it can be prevented can be learned at the "Äss-Bar" in workshops, among other things, or you can invite their lecturers to schools or your own company.
VOR DER SCHULE
Toddlers prefer to learn through play. You can introduce them to the topic of nutrition in different ways. You can take them to the weekly market where they put the apple in their own cotton bag or visit local farms with you. When they help out picking strawberries in the field or watering basil on the balcony, they automatically learn where and how their food grows.
At the Juckerhof, for example, there is the "apple garden", where a maze, a labyrinth and a barefoot experience for the little ones have been created from thousands of apple trees. From the age of 6, children are allowed to go into the garden on their own; for the younger ones, parents can go along and learn something themselves.
Cooking with children may take a little longer and cost nerves, but it is worth the effort. The little ones learn the most when they try things out for themselves and their interest is aroused in a playful way.
Various Swiss food blogs provide young cooks with age-appropriate and healthy recipes for the whole family.
loumalou.ch / missbroccoli.com / kidsamtisch.ch
