Over the past few days I carefully studied the VAU cookbook, with much pleasure, and finally I feel comfortable to review it and to put across a fair, personal opinion . The book itself is 414 pages long. The book consists of recipes and information of Kleebergs journey to Vau. As Kleeberg says "A recipe brings a chefs whole world onto a plate".Throughout the reading of this book I was brought on a journey through Kleebergs life, from childhood to the opening of VAU, explaining each monumental moment that lead him to the creation of VAU. In this book review I will essentially outline Kleebergs journey, while relating his journey to his recipes.
VAU is located in the reconstructed historic centre of Berlin and was corporately designed by designer, Peter Schmidt, who also decided the name VAU. The success of VAU is a combination of the clever corporate design and the hard work of Kleeberg and his team of chefs which provides customers with an excellent level of culinary pleasure.
Now onto the details. Kolja Kleeberg was born in 1964 when his parents were on a trip from Bergische to Cologne. The Kleeberg family settled in Coblenz where they lived adjacent to a wooded area, where Kleebergs love of nature blossomed .This wooded landscape would eventually be the reason for Kleebergs participation in the boy scouts in which he stayed a committed member till his early twenties. Throughout his youth, Kleebergs parents had many hopes for an eventual musical career for their son. They encouraged piano lessons in which Kleeberg had no interest for. Although Kleeberg had no motivation towards piano he found great love for Scottish and Irish folk music. Kleebergs career in music grew even further when he found a love for guitar and joined a band in which they had a level of mediocre success. After many years of an admitted lazy attitude towards school, Kleebergs school years finally came to an end. After he left school Kleeberg ran into a wall, in his own words "All the doors in the world were open to him but which one was he to choose". As many people at this stage of life do, Kleeberg had no idea what he wanted and what doors he wanted to pass through. Kleebergs attitude throughout life was that things usally just fall into place.
Kleeberg was attracted to theatre by "the metamorphosis, the illusion of the theatre reflecting real life in drama and in comedy". Kleebergs love for theatre would further play a part in his career as a chef in making numerous media appearances in which he feels is acting to portray an image to the public. In 1985 Kleeberg started working in the Stadttheater theatre in Coblenz, here "he was convinced he had found his world". Eventually the realisation that to have any future in acting, Kleeberg would have to go to acting school. Countless auditions and the reoccurrence of the phrase "Thank you" destroyed Kleebergs ambitions to be a famous actor.
Kleeberg mentions that his life was a build of interlinking moments of coincidence and fate. After his dream of being an actor was crushed Kleeberg met up with a former school mate, Christian Keaver, who was currently beginning a job as an apprentice chef in Bonn. One thing lead to another and a discussion with Keaver brought Kleeberg to think of his past realizing he had no previous culinary history. Kleeberg made a spontaneous decision and thought "why not become a chef". Kleebergs family life was never revolving around the mealtime, as his parents separated and his mother had an unpredictable teaching calendar. The only culinary memories Kleeberg had were of christmas in which his mother went all out or of the times his father bought fresh game of local hunters.Kleebergs love of nature and fascination with hunters as a young boy influences some of the recipes in the VAU cookbook with a re occurrence of game recipes.
Kleeberg began his first apprenticeship with a friend of Keaver who had previously opened a restaurant, L'Oliver, in Bonn where Keaver was quickly thrown into the deep end as the culinary team only consisted of him and the head chef, Michael. In the closing of the restaurant Kleeberg was set up with an apprenticeship in Felix Krull, where he met the love of his life, Petra Fontaine, who he would further marry in 2000. This was yet another instance of fate in Kleebergs journey. Kleeberg was then sent to Peter Himbert at the Le Marron, a Michelin star restaurant, where he quickly immersed himself in hard work and learnt essential skills shoulder to shoulder with great chefs. Kleeberg attended culinary school in which he graduated top of his class.
"A chef should always work in Paris" Kleeberg writes when remembering his time spent in Paris over previous years. While there, Kleeberg realised the importance of the mealtime in French culture. Kleeberg worked in a restaurant, Roue Jean Mermoz, in which they sourced ingredients from various provinces throughout France delivered by the producers themselves. Kleeberg believes that "the regional products, the food, the respect enjoyed by chefs and the celebration of visiting a restaurant still has a firm footing in French Culture". Then, after Paris, Kleeberg travelled to his home town, Cologne, in which he developed an interest for the Italian Cuisine of Rino Casati on the Ebertsplatz.
With knowledge in French, German and Italian Cuisine Kleeberg went to Lake Zurich with his partner Petra. While there they applied to Eduard Hitzberg, a Swiss Top Chef, for a position in his restaurant, Chesa Pirani in La Punt, where Kleeberg and his partner both received positions amongst the Restaurant staff, Kleeberg in the Restaurant and Petra on the floor.
Kleeberg recieved a call from his friend Christian Keaver in 1993 with news of major opportunities in Berlin after the falling of The Berlin Wall. Kleeberg and three other chefs from the Rhineland came together to create two restaurant concepts in Berlin. The first being 'Gut Sarnow' located outside the gates of the city and the second "Karlsbad" in the centre of Berlin. These restaurants offered 'down to earth' home style dishes and were hugely popular. Even though these restaurants were thriving , the chefs had no experience running a business and didn't make an adequate profit leading to the closure of both these restaurants. After this, his former Boss Eduard Hitzberg recommended Kleeberg to Joseph Viehhauser for a position of head chef in an ambitious project in which Kleeberg would help launch a new restaurant in the centre of Berlin. The bar was set very high for this project, with only the best outcome to be expected. Unsure Kleeberg was persuaded to go ahead by his partner. The old Patas in the Jager Strasses was soon revived to its former glory and work pregressed fast. With contrasting tones of wood and paint lovingly selected the restaurant began to take shape. This was a well designed sheik restaurant with only the best furnishings. The name VAU was chosen by the designer Peter Schmidt.
All these events in Kleebergs life lead to the creation of VAU a top class resturant in the heart of berlin in which would further strive for Michelin star status.In the review of this book a large part of the content is Kleebergs life story followed by the development of VAU.In this post i have given an outline of Kleebergs life and to follow this will explain the development of VAU and how Kleeberg and his team reached michelin star status.
