Big Ideas: Emile van der Staak & Wouter van Eck

We are slowly depleting the Earth together. Our current food system is not sustainable—it is finite. But things can be different, as proven by restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel, where cooking is a way to make the world a better place.

In this pioneering Nijmegen-based restaurant, awarded two Michelin stars, only plants are used: botanical gastronomy. This is done in collaboration with food forest Ketelbroek, which co-founder and botanist Wouter van Eck calls “the paradise of lazy farmers.” Here, there is no plowing, sowing, weeding, fertilizing, and certainly no spraying. Instead, plants are introduced and then endlessly harvested: seeds, flowers, shoots, buds, tubers, nuts, apples, pears, and plums. The fruit almost falls from the trees by itself.

What are new ways of food production, and what role does the food forest play in them? In this Big Ideas program, chef and owner of De Nieuwe Winkel, Emile van der Staak, and Wouter van Eck engage in conversation with two philosophers about taste, alternative food production methods, gastronomy, and the value of a food forest. It’s about working with nature instead of against it—by having patience and trusting nature. Then, she will reveal her secrets on her own.