BORA Magazine 02|2021 - English

EXPERIENCE COOKING &

EXPERIENCE COOKING & MUSIC A subtle playlist of soul and jazz can usually be heard in the ‘Lokschuppen’ fine dining restaurant in Cologne-Mülheim. JULIA KOMP Everything except rock music Julia Komp, 32, was Germany’s youngest female Michelin-star chef. She received her first such star at the age of 27. After numerous awards and a trip around the world lasting several months, Komp now runs the fine dining restaurant ‘Lokschuppen’ and the more casual ‘Anker 7’ in Cologne-Mülheim. While her new creations are Asian/oriental inspired, her music taste in the kitchen covers (almost) all genres: from Western hits to Latin pop to hip-hop. Cooking is creative work that involves all the senses. Do you always listen to music when doing it? Yes, I’ll have either the radio or a playlist on. Otherwise, something is missing. It’s what I got used to at home. Every morning, the first thing my mum did was switch on the radio. It affects the way you feel. Good music instantly improves your mood, especially if you associate a song with a positive experience. What’s your favourite kind of music to cook to? We listen to all sorts in our kitchen – from German love songs to salsa and carnival music to French rap. The only thing we don’t listen to is rock. We rejected this genre with a democratic vote of one to ten. Do you select specific albums? We generally just listen to the local radio station 1LIVE or 1LIVE DIGGI. DIGGI plays songs that don’t necessarily come on the radio. On Saturdays, I hate to say we switch to the worshipful WDR2 for the Bundesliga. I take a lunch break at that point. Do you prefer background music or do you sometimes sing along loudly too? We sing along loudly. For example, to the playlist we listen to while cleaning up on Sunday evenings. This includes hits by *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys – good old 90s music. Does cuisine from specific countries demand certain music when you’re making it? I wouldn’t go as far as to say ‘demand’, but they can sometimes go well together. The Lokschuppen’s after-work playlist certainly includes ‘Desert Rose’ by Sting, which has a strong oriental influence. When COOKING ▸ Aya Nakamura Jolie Nana (R&B) ▸ Topic ft. A7S Breaking Me (electronic) ▸ Revolverheld Mit dir chilln (indie) When EATING ▸ Ali Gatie What If I Told You That I Love You (pop) ▸ Dennis Lloyd Nevermind (Alright) (pop) ▸ Robin Schulz, Wes Alane (electronic) Photos: Marvin Evkuran, Aryan Mirfendereski, Fabian Dietrich 18 BORA MAGAZINE

FABIAN DIETRICH Sundays? Classical! Learning about foreign cultures, having adventures, collecting flavours. Fabian Dietrich is a man with many passions. He’s made one of them his profession: cooking. On his food blog ‘About Fuel’, Dietrich writes about polenta with cardamom plums, strawberry ravioli with mint cream – and why he was saved by BORA PURE. Are you someone who listens to music while cooking? Definitely. My kitchen’s never really silent: if there’s no music on, a podcast will be playing. Or I’ll have friends here and we’ll be chatting. What’s on your personal cooking soundtrack? It depends on my mood. If I need to cook something quickly, I’ll listen to power songs that push me. But when I’m leisurely cooking a Bolognese on a Sunday, I like relaxing classical music. It’s best to find music that reflects the pace of your cooking. Party tunes just aren’t suitable when you’re stirring a risotto. When COOKING ▸ Harry Styles Cherry (pop) ▸ Drake Passionfruit (hip-hop) ▸ Frank Ocean Strawberry Swing (R&B) When EATING ▸ Sam Cooke Fool’s Paradise (soul) ▸ Majid Jordan Her (pop) ▸ The XX Angels (indie) Does music influence you when you’re cooking? I don’t spontaneously add more seasoning to dishes just because a certain song comes on. Cooking isn’t a rigid process for me – and the same applies to music. How do you compose your dishes? I’ve got a taste library in my head where I store everything I’ve ever eaten. What does an onion taste like after being pickled in vinegar? And what about in lemon juice? When I cook or develop recipes, I juggle with different flavour combinations. That sounds a bit like creating a playlist: you add songs and, in the ideal situation, a harmonious result ensues. It’s with good reason that people talk about a symphony of flavours! Or taste undertones. I basically ‘borrow’ them from my taste library and combine various basic ingredients, complexities and conditions. You have to find the perfect harmony. Sometimes, changing just one ingredient can change the tone of an entire dish. A bit like a remix? Exactly. It seems like everything has been done before. Classic recipes are great, but I want to cook dishes that inspire me and give me something new instead of always playing the same old song. All of the songs can be found on the BORA playlist on Spotify. Simply scan the QR code: cooking-lounge dinner-lounge BORA MAGAZINE 19