A Delightful Blurring of Boundaries

LM: “The starting point is always to create a room outside. Summer is definitely the season for invitations, for sharing, and to be with people. Winter has something intimate and cozy and spring still has something a little harsh in a way. Summer is that moment in the year where everything becomes softer and settles a little and you just easily step out into this outdoor room.”

NE: “We work really intuitively and spontaneously, especially outside, because one week you might have a field of poppy flowers and the next the roses are in bloom, so it’s good to always work with what you have. Light is also super important to plan around this time of year, especially in the evenings when you have this golden light, which shines through all the leaves and is so romantic and calming.” 

LM: “There's something so magical about the idea of stepping into the story. Why should that magic ever stop? Just like summer in itself. What a gift.”

What’s on the Menu? 

NE: “Recipe wise, we are inspired by seasonal foods and have a rough idea of what we’ll be cooking, but are also led by what we find in the markets and supermarket. In summer, because it’s so hot outside, summer salads always feel nourishing and tie together beautiful summer produce wonderfully.

For this dish, we saw some super fresh rucola and added fennel for bitterness. We always like to add some kind of fruit, so we chose apples and walnuts and burrata to underline the Mediterranean mood we were creating.  It’s the season of barbeques and asparagus, so we grilled them along with the potatoes to give a salty, roasted, crunchy taste, and served them with a bit of Pecorino cheese on top. Putting olives in the small rattan boats is super nice as a snack goes always very well.

Elderflowers are also in bloom, so we made an elderflower drink with gin and soda—very simple and delicious.”

Essential Objects for Summer Sharing 

LM: “Summer is perfect for sharing platters as it’s really about getting people together and this moment of sharing. Platters create more connection and interaction around the table. It also keeps it more equal, so there's not one person who serves everyone and everyone gets involved.”

NE: “We went for a very handcrafted Mediterranean feel—a bit rough and easy with the super nice embroidery that evokes this very easy-going life; not too perfect, just living in the moment.

With the ceramics we chose, you can see that they are handmade and not perfect. Just like the rattan bowls, everything felt very natural and approachable. [Pieces like this] are really easy to use as you don't have to think about combinations or what goes with each other because it's all natural and they go with everything.

The cutlery we chose is the same; super high quality, but the bamboo-style handles made it feel relaxed. It’s not perfect, but still precious because it’s handcrafted. They have character and I feel like that goes really well with our aesthetic in general.”

Top Chef Tips

NE: “Cooking wise, I try to create food which doesn't has to be ready at a certain time, instead food that can rest outside for one hour at least and it's still delicious so you don't have to run in the kitchen every half an hour to prepare the next thing.”

LM: “That way, you can leave it out on the table and eat again if you’re hungry after two hours of conversation.”

NE: “For a dessert, it could be something nice like a panna cotta or a cake or an ice cream. Anything which you could even prepare maybe the day before and then just take out. That's the hardest part of being the cook to enjoy bigger meals as you could easily just stay in the kitchens all night. Try to do things you can prepare before.”