Where our live cooking came from
Michele used to be a manager in the furniture industry, and spent a lot of evenings at company events. At the end of most of them he could not have told you what he had eaten. Everything arrived in small bowls and glasses, and what was in them was hard to make out.
That is where the idea came from: not plated out of sight, but cooked in front of the guests. Real chefs, open pans, ingredients you can see. An event within the event. Today live cooking is a fixed part of what MicheleKocht does.
An event has two problems that feed each other. People stand in the groups they arrived with. And nothing happens that breaks them out of it.
A cooking station solves both. It pulls people from different corners to the same place, gives them something to watch, and gives them a reason to talk to each other that does not look like networking.
A salumeria, the way Tuscany does it
We carve fresh on the big machine: prosciutto, salami and mortadella, the way you now only see at a butcher’s. With regional alpine cheese, carrot and onion confit, excellent sourdough and umami sprouts, microgreens that bring concentrated flavour and strong colour.
The machine stands in the room, not in the kitchen. People gather round it and stay, and that is exactly where the conversations worth having begin.
What comes out of the pan
From the first course to dessert. Flatbreads, scampi and pimientos de Padrón to start. Risottos, with blueberries and young spinach for instance. Racks of veal, goulash and paella. For dessert, caramelised Valais apricots with mint, honey and walnuts. The range of smells alone makes it an occasion.
The smell arrives before the first taste
Of all the senses, only smell goes straight to where memory and feeling sit.
That is why live cooking works differently from good food carried in from a kitchen next door. Your guests smell the evening before they taste it. Watching your own food being made builds trust, and brings back the kitchen you grew up in.
The fire
Our ancestors gathered around a fire. We use what that does to people. Indoors or out, on gas or electric. What matters is that the cooking happens live.
In the courtyard of a city bank. In the garden at a wedding on Lake Zürich. On a roof terrace in Zürich West. In a hall on the Obersee. In an open-plan office at a Christmas party.
We know the venues that suit it.
See locationsSummer party · Nagelfabrik Wetzikon
Summer
from CHF 85 per person · 70 guests, live cooking
- Steinpilzrisotto mit Mascarpone, frischen Steinpilzen, Weisswein
- Risotto Scampi a limone mit Limonenabrieb und Mascarpone
- Risotto mit Birne, Gorgonzola und Feigen
- Entrecôte vom Schweizer Bio-Weiderind
- Original Currywurst mit scharfer hausgemachter Currysauce
«Ob Sommerevent oder Herbst-Party, ob draussen auf der grossen Pfanne oder in der normalen Küche, unsere Gäste und wir haben Deine natürliche, leckere, abwechslungsreiche Küche enorm genossen, mit Augen, Nase, Gaumen, und mit dem Herzen.»
Conchi and Dieter Hubmann · Summer and autumn events
From CHF 45 per person for the food, from CHF 65 at an apéro. Staff, drinks and equipment come on top and are listed separately in the quote.
From 20 guests, up to 1,500.
Setup two hours beforehand, strike about an hour.
Five formats, freely combinable.
Who cooks at our event?
MicheleKocht is owner-led. Michele holds every first meeting himself and is on site at your event. For private chef bookings and boardroom lunches he cooks himself. At larger events he takes overall charge and runs the service himself all evening.
What is live cooking?
The food is prepared in front of your guests instead of in a kitchen next door. We do it in paella pans up to a metre and a half across, over open fire outdoors and on induction and gas stations indoors. It is the most honest way to feed people: an open kitchen, visible ingredients, nothing that needs hiding.
What can you cook in a pan like that?
Risotto, paella, curries, braises, fish, vegetables, salads, mushrooms, pita breads, Kaiserschmarrn, pancakes and toasted cheese sandwiches. Vegetables straight from the embers, and desserts as well. The menu follows the occasion, not the equipment.
Do you need an outdoor area?
For open fire, yes: a garden, terrace, courtyard, roof terrace or marquee. The station always stands to one side or adjoining, never in the middle of a crowd. Indoors we work with induction and gas stations. The effect stays; the open flame does not.
What does live cooking cost?
From CHF 45 per person for the food. Staff, drinks and equipment are added as needed and are set out clearly in the quote.
From how many guests is it worth it?
From 20 people. Below that a private chef is the better fit.
How much space does a cooking station need?
About two square metres. We have cooked on a small boat before.
How long does setup take?
We arrive two hours beforehand. Strike takes about an hour.