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tipBerlin Food Fest: Berlin’s big foodie takeover

Berlin’s eight-day gastro extravaganza promises to satisfy bellies and brains alike – with the help of a certain supergeil supermarket chain.

Image for tipBerlin Food Fest: Berlin's big foodie takeover

As with last year’s inaugural edition, the Food Festival HQ is Clärchens Ballhaus, the historic restaurant and dancehall which also happens to share a co-owner with tip (and Exberliner). Photo: Clärchens Ballhaus

It’s never just about the food. What and how we eat is a reflection of who we are – our society, our politics, our relationship to the city we live in and the world around us. It’s a lot to digest, which is why our friends at tip have set aside an entire week full of talks, workshops and new ideas so we can do just that… and have a delicious meal or two while we’re at it.

As with last year’s inaugural edition, the Food Festival HQ is Clärchens Ballhaus, the historic restaurant and dancehall which also happens to share a co-owner with tip (and Exberliner). On October 9, its stunning Spiegelsaal will be hosting a trio of panels with industry insiders, including an English-language talk on cultural appropriation (see article, page 17) moderated by Aida Baghernejad. In German, there’s a discussion on the “new nearness” between restaurants, farmers and producers brought to us by tip food editor and festival curator Clemens Niedenthal, and another about the past and future of Berlin’s culinary culture, hosted by food journalist Peter Eichhorn.

New this year is a partnership with EDEKA and its recently opened Food Tech Campus (see interview below). Between October 9-10, they’ll be taking over the Clärchens courtyard with a ‘Food Market’ where Berliners can meet the start-ups and sample the products that will soon be taking the grocery industry by storm (it’s not only fake meat, we promise).

“This all sounds great, but when do we eat?” A farm-to-table feast at the Michelberger Hotel’s new farm in Spreewald (October 3) kicks off five days of special menus from Berlin’s hottest chefs, including a BBQ and beer collaboration between Otto and Berliner Berg, a high-end taste of Brandenburg from Marco Müller at Zollhaus Rutz (page 11) and a seven-course Korean meal paired with natural wine at Kreuzberg’s NaNum. The latter’s owner, fermentation wizard Jinok Kim, will also be leading a course on kimchi, one of eight German-language food workshops happening across Berlin during the week of the festival.

The events at Clärchens are 100 percent free; workshops cost €40-65; dinners (including drink pairings) run between €70-200 and must be reserved in advance. For more details go to tipfoodfestival.de.


EXB pick: Three workshops to try this week

Saving the world from the climate crisis has never been tastier. Want to learn how to reinvent your food waste in new, vegan-friendly ways? Thore Hildebrandt’s and Trivitys’s Zero Waste and Easy Vegan Workshop offers a diverse range of waste-reducing, world-saving tricks from making pesto from carrot leaves, to reusing old chocolate and bananas, to a delicious vegan mayo. 

Zero Waste & Easy Vegan Workshop, Trivitys, Florastr. 27, Pankow, Tue 5.10, 6pm

Ever fancied making your own homemade KimChi, but lacked patience and practice? Jinok Kim in Kreuzberg’s NaNum has got you covered with her very own KimChi-making workshop. Not only does she promise to teach you how to make the best-tasting KimChi, but also to develop more cultural appreciation for Berlin’s newest favourite superfood. Make sure to grab the spicy Korean snacks and your very own jar of KimChi to take home on your way out! 

KimChi Workshop, NaNum, Lindenstr. 90, Kreuzberg, Wed 6.10, 6pm

Those lacking German but still wanting a foodie workshop experience need look no further. Mr Susan’s Susan Choi is holding a Cocktail Workshop on October 8, promising not just a complementary ‘Signature-Aperitivo’ to get the evening started but also teaching you some of her handy mixology tricks. And to round it all off, Choi is hosting a Q&A ‘Barside-Chat’ where you’ll be able to taste some of Choi’s very own cocktails. 

Cocktail Workshop, Aperitivo, Q&A, Mr Susan, Krausnickstr. 1, Mitte, Fri 8.10, 4-6pm

Book your places at tipfoodfestivalberlin.de

Image for tipBerlin Food Fest: Berlin's big foodie takeover

Berlin’s second tipBerlin Food Festival (October 3-10) promises to satisfy bellies and brains alike. Photo: Clärchens Ballhaus