Inclusive restaurant Top Swiss chef fries burgers in Bad Godesberg
BAD GODESBERG · A top Swiss gourmet chef, Bruno Straub, has taken over the reigns of gastronomy at a local Godesberg restaurant where the able-bodied and those with disabilities work in unison.
He is marked by his 23 years of experience in Asia, but it was a back-breaking job with 18 hours of work per day, six days a week. Bruno Straub ruled with his wooden spoon in Manila, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Seoul. In Singapore, he was in charge of 300 chefs who worked at the Westin Hotels - in a total of 18 restaurants. “At some point you get fed up with the stars” said the 62-year-old in referring to the gourmet stars a restaurant can earn. Now he has come to a burger and fires place on Moltkeplatz in Bad Godesberg. There, the native of St. Gallen has taken over the management of gastronomy from Sabine Thiemann.
Above all, Straub is looking forward to the work in a restaurant which integrates workers with disabilities. Seven of the twelve positions are filled by persons who are either deaf, autistic or have a physical impairment. Like everyone else, they work in shifts. The chef wants to pass on all of his experience to the team. He did the same at the hotel management school in Bad Honnef after his return from Asia in 2000. His two children were also another reason he decided to return to Europe.
And so Straub has come from the world of gourmet and stars to an earthly burger restaurant. “The product is absolutely great” he says about the burgers. “Everything is fresh. We develop the sauces ourselves and peel potatoes for the french fries.” To remember his past years, there may well come an Asian burger with teriyaki sauce on the monthly menu.
When asparagus season arrives, the plan is to put asparagus in a bread bun with pesto or on a salmon filet. “Fish is missing here a bit,” says the Swiss chef, who has also cooked for Sophia Loren and heads of state. In the summer, he wants to put a grill out in front and do some grilling himself. The restaurant is a non-profit integration business whose profits are reinvested in the company.
Godesberg managing director Wolfgang Pütz is pleased about Straub’s commitment to the flagship project, which won the NRW Inclusion Award in 2016. It is hoped that the project encourages other entrepreneurs to hire those with disabilities. The network Bonn/Rhine-Sieg fairbindet assumes a directional role; it is active in the city and county. Orig. text: Richard Bongartz Translation: Carol Kloeppel
