Dornach, Switzerland. To mark the 100th anniversary of biodynamic agriculture, Steinbeisser (Stone Biter), a studio for “experimental gastronomy,” transformed the Goetheanum into a paradise for the senses at the end of August.
Instead of forks and glasses, the 70 guests were greeted with eating utensils designed by artists and students from the Object Design course at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. These objects created a new dining experience. “We wanted to give the participants a new perspective on their eating culture,” explains Martin Kullik, co-founder of Steinbeisser. All 70 participants sat at one table. The wooden spoons created by Alena Kelm could only be used by two people—imagination and humor were required. Chefs Elif Oskan, from the Restaurant Gül in Zürich, and Selassie Atadika, from New African Cuisine in Accra, Ghana, created a plant-based menu with biodynamic ingredients from the Goetheanum garden and regional, organic products. Another example of renewable materials and sustainable production processes was the “Eat like a Bark Beetle” project by Lia Chiara Burkhart, in which guests scraped food from carved wood—a tribute to the bark beetle, which is not a pest but an enrichment of the ecosystem. The Steinbeisser evenings showed that food is more than just nutrient intake: it can become a deep, sensual experience that allows us to rediscover our connection to our fellow human beings, art, and nature.
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Translation Charles Cross
Image Chefs Elif Oskan (left) and Selassie Atadika (right). Photo: Steinbeisser.org
