From farm to table

(2 October 2026) – Three days, an Ibérico pig and a question that is often pushed into the background in everyday gastronomy: what does it actually mean to process an animal in its entirety? At the JRE Genusslabor 2.0, held from 6 to 8 September 2026, four JRE members, together with four well-known figures from the food and content scene, set out to explore precisely this question. At the Ibérico Westfalia farm in the Münsterland region, they followed the journey from the live animal through to slaughter and artisanal processing, culminating in a jointly developed menu. The focus was on respect for the animal, appreciation for the food, and the responsibility that comes with enjoying meat.

What happens when top chefs step away from their familiar kitchens, when routines suddenly no longer apply, and they are faced with a task for which they could not prepare? It is precisely at this moment that the JRE Taste Lab 2.0 begins. Once a year, this event creates space for new perspectives, unexpected encounters and a genuine engagement with produce and its origins. The focus is not on competition or perfection, but on curiosity, craftsmanship, exchange and the courage to embrace the unknown.

The special thrill: participants only find out on the day who they’ll be teaming up with and which course they’ll be responsible for. Each JRE member is paired with a prominent figure from the food and content scene. The teams then work together to develop the dishes for a final menu.

This year’s hosts for this special edition were JRE member Frédéric Morel (“Cœur D’Artichaut”, Münster) and his wife Elisabeth Morel, together with Annika and Christian Vincke from Ibérico Westfalia. As patron and creative force behind the format, JRE member Tobias Bätz (“AURA by Alexander Herrmann and Tobias Bätz”, Wirsberg) once again shaped the JRE Gourmet Lab 2.0.

Get to know them first, then prepare them

But before the challenge began, on Sunday the group first headed to where it all starts: the animals. Annika and Christian Vincke showed the participants around their farm and provided insights into how they rear the Ibérico pigs, their working methods, and how they handle the animals and produce on the farm.

Afterwards, it was announced who would be taking on the challenge together: Ruben Baumgart (“Rubens – Das österreichische Restaurant” in Düsseldorf) and Beatrice Jäger, alias @mrswildboar, formed Team Defender; Franz Berlin (“Hotel Kronelamm” in Bad Teinach-Zavelstein) and Torsten Hülsmann, alias @herr_totti, formed Team ASA Selection; Michael Ammon (“AMMONS Sankt Englmar” in Perasdorf) and Anton Behnke (@antonbehnke) formed Team de Buyer, whilst Klemens Gold (“Rau – Nature-based Cuisine” in Großraming, Austria) and Achim Oecal, aka @kitchenachim, formed Team AKI Kaviar.

It was precisely these unusual combinations that opened up new perspectives. For owner Tobias Bätz, this is a central tenet of the format: “If you don’t stray from the beaten track, you won’t learn anything new. That’s why it’s important to ask the right questions and listen to one another. It’s about bringing people along with us, tackling things together and acting responsibly. We need to explain where we’re coming from and foster an appreciation for it.”

Then the draw took place a second time: this time, it was to decide which cut of the Ibérico pig the teams would be working with. Team Defender was allocated the breast tip, Team ASA Selection the heart, tongue and kidney, Team de Buyer half a pig’s head with the brain, and Team AKI Kaviar the hind shank with the knuckle. This meant each team faced a different task: it was precisely the less common cuts that demanded creativity, craftsmanship and fresh ideas. The dishes created later on show just how differently the teams tackled this challenge.

A morning that changes your perspective

On Monday, the focus was on the artisanal butchering of the Ibérico pig. Under the guidance of butcher Andi Neumann, who has many years’ experience and specialises in home slaughtering, the participants explored the individual steps involved and how to utilise the animal as holistically as possible. The focus was on a respectful and transparent insight into an aspect of food production that often remains in the background in everyday gastronomy. Origin, craftsmanship and appreciation were thus directly linked.

For many participants, the tangible shift between two worlds was particularly striking: the slaughter of the animal was an unfamiliar, quiet moment, unlike anything the chefs are accustomed to in their everyday culinary work. With the subsequent butchering and processing, however, they returned to familiar territory: their craft. It was precisely at this transition that it became particularly clear how a living creature becomes food and what responsibility this entails. Annika Vincke particularly emphasised the respect with which the participants approached the animal and the entire process.

For JRE member Michael Ammon, this was no easy experience. “I had great respect for the process and actually didn’t want to watch the slaughter at all. In hindsight, it was the best decision to go through with it. As a chef, you should know what’s involved from start to finish.”

From craft to a shared meal

On Tuesday, the experiences of the previous two days culminated in a shared meal. Team Defender, comprising Ruben Baumgart and Beatrice Jäger, served, amongst other things, lángos with homemade cream cheese and crackling, Leberkäse with herb vinaigrette and caviar, and Austrian cream goulash. The breast tip, allocated by draw, was also turned into a rolled roast with market vegetables and homemade smoked mayonnaise.

Franz Berlin and Torsten Hülsmann from Team ASA Selection focused on the animal’s ‘inner values’: they turned the kidney into black pudding, thereby reinterpreting the Rhineland classic ‘Himmel und Erde’. The tongue was turned into a ragout with roasted maitake mushrooms, lamb’s lettuce and rapeseed; the heart was grilled and served with wild broccoli and a curry-Ibérico mayonnaise.

Michael Ammon and Anton Behnke from Team de Buyer used the pig’s head in two different ways: alongside an Ibérico Westfalia ramen, they served baked pig’s head with a potato and brain cream, mustard and apple. Finally, Team AKI Kaviar, featuring Klemens Gold and Achim Oecal, combined nose-to-tail cooking with their partner’s eponymous product: They served a pork knuckle and caviar toast, grilled Ibérico loin with a peppermint oil salad, and roast Ibérico pork.

The sharing menu was then served to invited guests at a long table. A wine pairing from Lobenberg’s GUTE WEINE, curated by sommelier Antonios Askitis (@asktoni.de) and tailored to the dishes, accompanied the meal.

It is precisely these dishes that demonstrate what the JRE Genusslabor 2.0 set out to convey: it is not only the supposedly prime cuts that determine an animal’s value. Offal, the head or the knuckle can also serve as the starting point for sophisticated and surprising cuisine. Even butcher Andi Neumann, who had guided the participants through the butchering and preparation process the day before, was impressed by how the chefs had taken the individual cuts to the next level in culinary terms.

Partners play a part in the culinary outcome

The JRE partners were also directly involved in the culinary outcome. AKI Kaviar contributed its sturgeon caviar, which was used, amongst other things, in the pork knuckle and caviar toast. de Buyer provided the pans for preparing the dishes, whilst ASA Selection set the table for the shared meal. For an additional speciality, host Frédéric Morel and professional chef Zoltan Okolicsanyi created a black pudding crème brûlée using Président Professionnel Gourmet whipping cream.

The lasting impact of the three-day experience was also evident during the joint closing session. For Beatrice Jäger, a forester and passionate hunter, looking beyond her own perspective was particularly formative: “For me, the parallels and differences between hunting and agriculture were incredibly fascinating. Being able to experience ‘nose-to-tail’ so directly here was a great enrichment. It’s worth opening yourself up to things you’re unfamiliar with. You think more consciously about food, let go of inhibitions and learn an incredible amount from one another.”

What remains from the ‘Genusslabor 2.0’ is therefore more than just a jointly developed menu: it is a keener awareness of where food comes from, what its processing entails, and the responsibility that comes with it.