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Mother
Laura comes from a large Maastricht family with five children. His mother instilled in him a love of food and freshly prepared dishes. “She attended the culinary academy and always bought fresh produce from local suppliers,” says Laura. “I myself studied Dutch and did a minor in journalism, but it really wasn’t for me. I found a job in a publishing house, which I didn’t really like either. But we’ve also published cookbooks with this publisher, and that’s where my passion lies.
smoked sausages
When she quit her job, Laura thought she could take a look behind the scenes of artisans and chefs and tell stories about it. Thus, at these beginnings, it was deboned at a butcher in Leiden. “One of the first things he told me was that pork most closely resembles human flesh. He also always delivered smoked sausages to customers’ homes, which he just threw in the mailbox by flattening them a bit. As a result of this experience, I wrote a funny story in which I reported with relief that I was glad I didn’t end up like a smoked sausage. This story has was picked up by the editors of chef Jamie Oliver’s magazine. They asked me to write for their magazine. So my move into food journalism got off to a good start,” she laughs.
Popular
Laura’s articles were popular and in no time she was writing for other food-related media. This is how the idea of the Amsterdam Cookbook was born. There, she conducted research on nutrition by re-examining different cuisines and doing extensive research. This is how she discovered that your plate sometimes travels 30,000 kilometres. “After the success of the Amsterdam cookbook, I made another book, for which I traveled all over the Netherlands on my electric motorcycle in search of the best products from the regions where I stayed.”
Together with the photographer Hans de Kort, who did the photography for the book, Laura thought about a next project. Because it would be great to do the same thing in another country? “That’s how Natural Austria was born,” says Laura. “Austria is a country with a huge diversity of flavors, cultures and dishes thanks to its countless microclimates. Did you know, for example, that the cheese you find in Austria tastes different when cows or sheep have grazed on top of the mountain? They have many special cheeses, such as Alpen Bergkäse and Montafoner Sura Kees, which taste hugely different from cheese made in the Netherlands.
pumpkin seed oil
In about a month and a half, Laura visited many farmers, producers, chefs and hosts and gathered all the information for the book. “I interviewed 55 people and found out all sorts of surprising things about Austrian products. Take, for example, Kürbiskernöl, or pumpkin seed oil. I was riding around the state of Styria with my e-bike and saw all kinds of orange pumpkins in the field. This really caught my attention, so I visited the farmer and found that a great tasting oil was made from these seeds. Something you hardly come across in the Netherlands.
dessert
In this way, she found something special in each federal state and she became even more aware of the importance of local products. “I love it when chefs work with nature and the elements. This certainly happens in Austria. Chefs who cultivate their own products in their garden and place a bench in the middle of this field, so that you can enjoy your meal between all these delicacies. Or chefs who craft a ridge-based dessert in their region. I have so many examples of chefs who create their dishes based on nature. I’m still very excited about it.
Culinary Treasure Chest
Traveling was like a culinary treasure chest for Laura. “When you read my cookbooks, you as a reader are looking over my shoulder and discovering these treasures with me.” “I wrote it so you can travel with me and see the importance of eating food that hasn’t been around the world, but just comes from your environment. For example, I don’t buy no more real California almonds. There is a monoculture, which means only one crop is grown on a piece of land at a time. Even the bees have to be transported there, for the trees to bear fruit in the first place. »
Trout
Not sustainable at all, says Laura. “Just like lawyers. A few people benefit a lot from it and it’s not the farmers. If you travel to a country where a certain product is grown, of course you can eat it. But in Italy, you don’t order Alaskan salmon. In Austria, on the other hand, you can easily eat a tasty trout from a mountain lake. I’m happy when people discover the stories behind the food by reading my cookbooks. »
