Koch.campus all about snow food from the city centre of Vienna

VIENNA: The Koch.Campus, the premier class of think tanks for food lovers, took place in Vienna's Augarten on 29 January 2025. At City Farm Augarten, the centre of excellence for urban gardening and sustainable agriculture, an entire day was dedicated to the diversity of winter vegetables from Vienna's city centre under the resounding name "Snow Food". A string of highlights best describes the programme, from the guided tour of the baroque gardens, the sensory tasting of winter vegetable rarities and cooking stations by true culinary virtuosos such as Rebecca Clopath, Paul Ivić, Josef Floh and Heinz Reitbauer to the brilliant dinner at Steirereck - including a kitchen party, of course.

In the city, which is known worldwide for its rich culture, first-class cuisine and multiple awards as the most liveable city, experts, pioneers and exceptional talents from gastronomy and agriculture came together for an exchange of knowledge and experience to immerse themselves in the fascination of winter vegetables and enjoy the most delicious creations together. Yes, it's true - root vegetables, cabbages, herbs and salads grow in the centre of the city. And in the middle of winter. According to the City Farm team, the fact that the plants thrive is also thanks to the daily rehearsal of the Vienna Boys' Choir that takes place next door - who performed a few songs to the delight of the Koch.Campus participants.

The heart of urban agriculture

The keynote speech by vegetable researcher Wolfgang and Angelika Palme and City Farm patron Ingrid Greisenegger discussed visions for the future of growing winter vegetables, followed by a guided tour full of flavour experiences and wow-effects through Vienna's Augarten, where innovative cultivation methods, sustainable ideas and culinary creativity were discussed. Flavour educator Johann Reisinger presented his winter vegetable rarities during a sensory tasting: wild rocket, winter purslane, flower sprouts and the like amazed the participants more than once.

"White gold" with tradition

In 1718, Emperor Charles VI granted the Augarten porcelain manufactory the privilege of being the sole manufacturer of porcelain in Austria and the Crown Lands for 25 years. Empress Maria Theresa took over the manufactory in 1744, and since then every piece of porcelain has borne the former coat of arms of the Babenbergs - the Bindenschild - under the glaze. During a guided tour of the second oldest porcelain manufactory in Europe, which is now privately owned, the Koch.Campus participants were able to learn more about the traditional methods of making fine crockery.

Task force for the best flavour

Four cookery stations demonstrated what can be conjured up from the plant-based winter treasures - if your name is Rebecca Clopath, Paul Ivić, Josef Floh, Michael Bauböck or Heinz Reitbauer. The main protagonists included radicchio, turnips such as Robushka and Crapaudine and radish varieties such as Pink and Blue Meat.
At the peak of flavour were dishes such as a ragout made from a variety of cabbages and Jerusalem artichokes with pickled porcini mushrooms or a borscht-inspired beetroot soup with katsubushi made from crapaudine beetroot. Other dishes included radicchio leaves with smoked tofu, radicchio in lacto-fermented tomatoes, with pickled red onions, granola, crispy chilli, citrus salsa, radicchio roots and einkorn bread rolls or a goldeneye turnip cooked on salt and seasoned with "Badger Flame" miso charcoal butter - and an ideally matched wine accompaniment from the respekt-BIODYN winegrowers.

A highlight was Heinz Reitbauer's "Winter vegetables on ice" - with an unexpectedly fresh intensity of flavour from frozen vegetables such as tatsoi, staghorn plantain or kohlrabi leaves, finely garnished with herbs and refreshed with nuances of lemon or orange.The next item on the programme was literally heralded by a special Wiener Stadtwerke tram: opera singer Claudia Goebl and opera singer Horst Lamnek with accordionist Silvester Janiba accompanied the Koch.Campus participants for two laps of the Ring and delighted them with Viennese dances.

Culinary superlative

The innovation workshop was rounded off with a grandiose dinner at Birgit and Heinz Reitbauer and chef Michael Bauböck's Steirereck in the Stadtpark, where sophisticated variations of winter vegetables were also a delight. Even the ingredients of the cocktails from star bartender Klaus St. Rainer, Goldene Bar München, made it "from the bed to the glass" - the best prerequisite for a successful 3-star kitchen party.

Norbert Kettner, Director of the Vienna Tourist Board: "Vienna's gastronomy contributes significantly to the city's identity. As a culinary destination, the Vienna Tourist Board makes it accessible to a global audience: last year alone, we hosted 700 media representatives - 1,300 articles on the topic of cuisine accounted for half of the global media coverage generated by the Vienna Tourist Board. From small inns to Michelin-starred restaurants, including the Steirereck, which has just been awarded a well-deserved third Michelin star: we put Vienna's culinary spectrum in the spotlight. Authentic, but not provincial. Cosmopolitan, but not confusingly so. This is also the case with the Koch.Campus, where Vienna once again impressively demonstrates that it is not the namesake of an entire cuisine for nothing."

Contributors and partners
Wolfgang & Angelika Palme, Ingrid Greisenegger(www.cityfarm.wien), Johann Reisinger(www.johann-reisinger.at), Franziska Lerch from Lerchenhof(www.lerchen-hof.at), variety junkie Robert Brodnjak(www.krautwerk.at), Peter Laßnig from Ackerschön(www.ackerschoen.at), natural chef Rebecca Clopath & team from Graubünden(www.rebecca-clopath.ch), Josef Floh(www.derfloh.at), Paul Ivić(www.tian-restaurant.com) as well as Michael Bauböck from Steirereck and hosts Birgit and Heinz Reitbauer(www.steirereck.at). Vöslauer(www.voeslauer.com), respekt-BIODYN(www.respekt-biodyn.bio), Stiegl(www.stiegl.at), Tischlerei Lanser(www.tischlerei-lanser.at), crockery specialist Rechberger(www.rechberger.at), Lohberger(www.lohberger.com), Land schafft Leben(www.landschafftleben.at) and Wiener Stadtwerke(www.wienerstadtwerke.at) also took part.