The best of the simple!

In many households In many households, the kitchen table currently has an "almost stately infrastructural significance", as journalist infrastructural importance", as the journalist Gerhard Matzig writes. Mr. Güngörmüs, do you also own such a table, which has become the epicenter of your life epicentre of your life during the pandemic?

A.G. Yes, for me too dining table, which is my favourite place to be next to the couch. However, I am still on the road a lot, so I spend what little time I have left in my own four walls. remaining time within my own four walls.

And where, Mr. Riedel, do you spend most of your time at home with your family in the home office? mainly take place?

MR. As with most people, for us it's the kitchen and the adjoining dining area. dining area. My wife and I like to hang out around the cooking block - while our daughter dances in the middle.

Since Corona, the living has been booming like it hasn't been since the Biedermeier era. How have the needs of your customers change in this last year? What role does the desire the desire for one's own green?

M.R. Of course. people want to get outside. Having your own balcony or garden is a great gain. Nevertheless, we have noticed that more space is the more important more important criterion in the purchase decision - a consequence of working in a home office. home office. People want and need a room in which they can participate undisturbed in video conferences undisturbed. The desire for more space the entire real estate market. People who have a one-bedroom apartment you're looking for a two-bedroom, you're looking for a two-bedroom.., wants three rooms, and so on. The biggest pressure we're seeing in the real estate market... can be observed in single-family houses. The demand for properties that have space and have a garden is enormous. Before especially in the upscale segment, where we operate, the market is proving to be particularly stable.

How do you assess the future development?

M.R. In fact demand has risen sharply again since autumn of last year. I am convinced that the current inflation fears will continue to drive interest in will continue to drive interest in tangible assets. In addition, those who have not been able to travel restaurants, are now spending their money elsewhere.

Have your requirements for living also changed during the last year?

M.R. Definitely yes. My wife and I are expecting our second child. When we bought an apartment two years ago. bought an apartment two years ago, my wife got pregnant shortly after - and now, and now that our daughter is having a sister, the nursery is too small. square meters has become too small. So we sold our flat again and looked for something new. With a garden - I think that's important when you have when you have children.

Mr. Güngörmüs, does your apartment have a terrace or balcony where you can grow herbs.., vegetables or even fruit?

A.G . Yes, I have herbs, including rosemary and thyme, marjoram and mint, curry herb and coriander. I even have strawberries growing on my patio. And then there's... a peach tree, an apricot tree and a sour cherry tree.

What do you like to cook do you like to cook for yourself at home? How much effort do you put into it?

A.G . Not at all. much. Preparing a pasta salad with avocado or feta cheese: It takes... ...10 minutes. And an oven vegetable is ready in half an hour. You don't have to cook complicated to make it taste delicious. We professional chefs... are satisfied with less than is commonly believed. Even with a simple meal The most important thing is to use the very best ingredients and to eat a diet seasonal diet. Vegetables and fruit that are in season and ideally from the region, taste much better and are also cheaper. and is also cheaper.

What should you have in your in your home in any case?

A.G. Dimmable light! Different light sources create a wonderful atmosphere. Candles are a must for me.

How much warm, perfectly staged light creates a sense of well-being can be experienced as a guest in your restaurant "Pageou". Pageou" restaurant, which exudes a restrained yet sensual elegance. sensual elegance. Does this clear style correspond to your personal your personal taste in furnishings?

A.G . Yes. What I like I like is lightness. I don't like it when the walls are covered with pictures... and there's something in every corner of every room. That goes for my home... as well as for the Pageou, where we've set where we've added new interior touches. The best example is the Thonet cantilever chairs, which convey a great lightness with their Viennese weave. convey. I don't want a cool, well-designed restaurant; that would be too cold for me. too cold. The way I live and work is the way I cook: the best of the simple - that's my philosophy. that's my philosophy.

So what do you think about to perfectly equipped high-tech kitchens, which have long since become a status symbol? status symbol?

A.G. In the TV show "Koch's anders - Hessian cuisine rediscovered" I am often a guest in private private households. And it turns out that people who can cook well.., can get by without a steamer. Conversely, those who cook only rarely have a full rarely cook, have a full kitchen. Know-how is more important than technical equipment. It's all about the equipment: decent pots and pans, high-quality knives pots and pans, high-quality knives, good peelers and cutting boards. My kitchen kitchenette at home is simply equipped, but of high quality.

Your numerous TV appearances mean you are often "on the road". Can a hotel ideally be a "home away from home"? can a hotel ideally be a "home away from home" - or do you long for your own do you long for your own four walls during production days?

A.G. Of course it is it's nicest at home. When I have appointments in Hamburg, Berlin or Cologne, I try to fly back to Munich on the same day. Then I can be I can be with my guests in the evening. I find the junk food that you often have to rely on that you often have to rely on when you're on the road. I prefer to cook myself a snack a little something late in the evening.

With "Ali to go" you entered the pick-up food business during the first lockdown. during the first lockdown. I'm sure your regulars weren't the only ones who were happy to see that. your regulars.

A.G. Dishes to takeaway meals can't replace the restaurant experience, of course. Even if you have to some sacrifices, the quality must not suffer. But we are very happy to finally be able to welcome guests again after more than seven months of closure.

M.R. And I am very happy to be able to meet to meet friends in the beer garden, to have dinner with my wife. Our favorite restaurant? The Pageou, of course! On a Saturday afternoon, I also like Schumann's Day Bar.

An interview by Margit Uber.