Secret recipe: Nature

His passion for cooking took him from London to Zurich, Milan to Munich and as far as New York. Luminaries such as Jörg Müller, Eckart Witzigmann and Nadia Santini were among his mentors. After traveling around much of the world, he returned to his native South Tyrol where he initially worked in Castel Colz. When Norbert Niederkofler became executive chef at St. Hubertus in San Cassiano in Badia more than twenty years ago, it was famous for its international clientele who sought the very best of haute cuisine. The chef instantly thought it absurd to serve his guests international dishes that they could have easily found at home too. So it was all the more obvious for him to offer them authentic South Tyrolean cuisine using regional ingredients. A sustainable cuisine based on the principle of deep-seated respect for the rhythms and the balance between the environment and those who live in it.

In each of his dishes, he attempts to express the region, the traditional agriculture and the unadulterated quality of the products, presenting them with care, consistency and lightness. His aim is to create a complex sensory experience based on nature, exemplifying the motto “Cook the mountain”. Since over the years his cooking style had developed more and more towards regionality and seasonality, it also provided the name for his new restaurant, the AlpiNN. The restaurant itself expresses his philosophy and, together with an events and conference hall, is located in the LUMEM, the new Museum of Mountain Photography on the peak of Plan de Corones. High up in the mountains, it enjoys breathtaking views while the sustainably designed interior tells of the province of South Tyrol, of traditions but also of innovation.

In January 2019, Norbert Niederkofler will demonstrate at Restaurant Ikarus the sophistication he brings to combining nature and sustainability with the delightful Alpine-Mediterranean cuisine of South Tyrol.