When perfection comes from imperfection

Top organic chef Simon Tress becomes brand ambassador for WMF Second Life

Michelin-starred chef and proves with his ‘Restaurant 1950’ in Hayingen, Swabia, that Michelin-starred cuisine can also be organic. As part of his strict sustainability strategy, he now uses WMF Second Life cutlery on the laid table. With Second Life, WMF Professional has set itself the task of returning second-hand cutlery and leftover stock back into the cycle. The stonewashed menu items, coffee spoons and cake forks are mixed across the collection, lending a wonderful vintage character to the table. Simon Tress is just as enthusiastic about this special charm as he is about the resource-saving aspect. “WMF Second Life is a perfect match for our not-so-perfect vegetables, which we use to conjure up perfect cuisine on the plate,” explains Tress. He made a conscious decision to make WMF Second Life part of the restaurant's 1950s history. A story in which the ingredients are grown organically within a radius of just 25 kilometres and the resource cycle is completely closed so that no waste is produced. “We couldn’t think of a better brand ambassador than Simon Tress for WMF Second Life. Because he doesn't just talk, he does something about waste,” says Carsten Kulcke, General Manager of proHeq GmbH.

Nature makes the plate. For Simon Tress and his team, this is not merely a catchphrase, but the basis of their daily work. “This means that we can only work with what we get from the field, because that’s the goal of sustainability,” emphasises Tress. In the kitchen, he always focuses on one type of vegetable and breaks it down to its finest elements. For example, the carrot harvest is not only taken directly from the field and prepared for the current menu, but also preserved in a blast freezer, through fermentation and traditional preserving. In addition, vegetables and fruit can be ideally stored in the restaurant’s cellar. An important piece of equipment in the Tress kitchen is the dehydrator. “We dry everything. Vegetable scraps and peelings left over from cooking are dried to make seasoning powder or the basis for purees,” Tress tells us. This closed cycle is not only sustainable, but also extremely economical – an aspect that is also extremely important for restaurateurs. WMF Professional already meets this requirement thanks to the premium quality and durability of its cutlery portfolio. With WMF Second Life, the “Expert of Table Culture” goes one step further in terms of a resource-saving circular economy. “The basis for this is the excellent quality of the cutlery items to be reconditioned – and the professional reconditioning itself. To make sure the table knives retain their cutting performance as a Second Life product, they are resharpened during the reconditioning process,” explains Kulcke. As a special finishing touch, the table knives are laser engraved with the “Second Life” lettering.

Family atmosphere rather than star-studded ceremonies

eye level and the ‘you’ is part of the familiar, welcoming atmosphere. The concept of sustainability also consistently extends to the furnishings. The entrance area features the glass doors of the old drinks cabinets from the Tress family’s former inn and the ceiling is adorned with disused wooden shutters from the cowshed. When it comes to the laid table, Tress focuses on a stylish selection of porcelain, glass and cutlery on beautiful wooden tables, deliberately avoiding tablecloths. The impressive vintage character of WMF Second Life fits perfectly here. This is because the special stonewashing process creates a unique, irregular surface so that no two pieces are the same and each one is truly one of a kind.

Further information:
proHeq GmbH
WMF Professional
Carl-Benz-Strasse 10
75217 Birkenfeld
Tel. +49 7231 4885 0
Fax +49 7231 4885 83
jzs@cerff-a-eryngvbaf.qr
www.wmf-professional.com

Press and public relations:
WMF Press Office
c/o Press’n’Relations GmbH
Désirée Müller and Monika Nyendick
Magirus-Deutz-Str. 14 – D-89077 Ulm
Tel. +49 731 96287-32
Fax +49 731 96287-97
jzs@cerff-a-eryngvbaf.qr
www.press-n-relations.de

About WMF
As the Expert of Table Culture, WMF Professional offers a wide range of products for the restaurant and hotel industry. With its high-quality products, WMF Professional creates an unrivalled culinary experience. Carefully designed cutlery, porcelain, glassware, serving items and buffet solutions of the highest quality meet the high demands of customers in over 120 countries around the world. WMF Professional also offers integrated concepts for serviced apartments with a selection of Groupe SEB small electrical appliances and the familiar WMF Professional product portfolio.

WMF, short for Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, is a leading premium supplier of household products, professional coffee machines and hotel equipment. Founded in 1853 in Geislingen an der Steige, the brand stands for innovation based on tradition, as well as development and design “Made in Germany”.

The WMF Professional brand is part of Groupe SEB and is marketed together with the other B2B brands under the "SEB Professional" umbrella.