Comfort Food #19: Sophia Hoffmann – Can gastronomy reinvent itself in the crisis?

“It’s so important to create alternatives and never just accept the status quo. We always have the freedom to form our own opinion and to go different paths.”
Sophia Hoffmann, 25.05.20

 

Sophia Hoffmann is a chef, author and activist in Berlin. She does not only talk about (plant based) recipes: Her latest cookbook is called Zero Waste kitchen and she uses her social media channels to educate people about sustainability, environmental protection, feminism and social justice. Together with her business partner Nina Petersen, she is planning to open her own restaurant: Happa Restaurant, where they want to do things differently. 

In our Comfort Food Talk Nr. 19 we talked about her ideas of leadership, responsibility and resource conservation in gastronomy. Sophia sees people like herself, who came to gastronomy via a different professional background, like a stimulus and enrichment to the industry, challenging established hierarchies and representation structures. Allw the while picking up new concepts that are unfortunately neglected in classic culinary training: plant-based cuisine, waste minimization and priorizing organically grown products.

The conversation was moderated by our director Friederike Gaedke.

Sophia Hoffmann: Instagram | Website | Facebook
Happa Restaurant: Instagram | Facebook 
Isla Coffee: Instagram | Facebook