Transformative Cooking: Pleasure with the Power of Change
"The kitchen is an integral part of the overall holiday experience!" – at SEELEITEN, this is not merely acknowledged; it is embraced with full conviction: the cooking here is at a high level, yet always honest, wholesome and rooted in the region. "What sounds like a balancing act at first is, at its core, inseparable," says head chef Eddi.
He and his kitchen team have grown increasingly firm in this belief over the years: "The freshness of the ingredients always shines through to the finished dish – just as much as the way they are grown and produced. It's not only skill, creativity and passion that make a great dish – it's the products that make the difference. And when their flavour tells a story, something happens. Something moves."
Wandelzeit – a Partnership with Impact
"Why look far afield when the very best is right on your doorstep?" – finding a satisfying answer to that question isn't always straightforward. But SEELEITEN looked around close to home – and found something that creates the perfect conditions for cooking with nearby goodness: a partnership. The Hof des Wandels in Eppan is a place where farming is rethought and lived every single day with awareness, enthusiasm, care and great commitment.
A place that has the courage to ask questions of the wider world: how do we want to relate to land, animals and food in the future? What does farming in harmony with people and nature actually mean? And it works every day on finding answers: across several hectares, Lisa and Jakob, together with their family and team, cultivate fruit and vegetables in permaculture – gently, in close contact with nature.
"Something That Goes Deeper"
"Since honesty is the foundation of our collaboration," says Eddi, looking at Jakob, "I want to be completely transparent: I was excited by the idea from the start – but it was only through direct personal exchange that I truly understood how valuable the work of the Wandel team – and our partnership – really is. Not just for the kitchen, for SEELEITEN. This somehow goes … deeper."
He explains that Jakob and his team don't just supply products, but also the values by which they work. Direct contact with the people on the farm – and with the fruit and vegetables still on site, in the field, in the soil – has changed not only Eddi, but the entire way the kitchen works: "You appreciate the ingredients so much more when you witness first-hand how much heart and effort goes into them."
In the End, Nature Decides
The close collaboration also changes the workflows within the SEELEITEN kitchen team. Requests can be put in ahead of the season and integrated directly into what is grown. However: not everything is available at all times, and not everything can be planned. In the end, nature decides. This calls for greater flexibility and creativity. From "what do I want to cook, so I'll order it" to "what's growing right now – what can I create with it?" – it's a process. One advantage: Jakob is a trained chef. He can offer valuable guidance on preparation so that the products are processed in the best and most holistic way possible. This makes the partnership particularly rewarding.
Farming and Gastronomy: Hand in Hand, From Hand to Hand
Jakob sees working with a hotel like SEELEITEN as a tremendous opportunity – not only because he knows that his premium products are used and celebrated in a quality kitchen, but because the underlying vision is shared: we all need to consume far more locally. This brings many advantages – ecological, economic and social. It promotes biodiversity, improves soil health and creates regional cycles. Jakob emphasises: "We want to grow food that is genuine. From healthy soil. Nutrient-rich, alive, microbiologically active. Gastronomy has enormous power to act. When it shifts its mindset and changes course, something happens right away."
Why It Works
"The partnership works because it's real. Because the owners stand behind it. Because the team at the Wandel farm and those in the SEELEITEN kitchen are young, open and ready to engage with current issues. And because Jakob and I have learnt, through our direct exchanges, what it means to collaborate as equals – a truly valuable experience."
The goal? To deepen the partnership further. Because it is precious for both sides – gastronomically, humanly, for the future.
