Gastronomy

Andrea Würzburger, SCHOTT GLAS, Mainz, Germany

Fine Cooking

In the Berlin Reichstag, the chefs cook on “Ceran” glass ceramic cooktops.

Unlike when they were in Bonn, members of parliament in Berlin are now looked after by a catering specialist. Käfer Berlin GmbH has been entrusted with running the catering units for the Bundestag (the German Parliament) in the Reichstag building in Berlin.

The logistics are somewhat tricky. There are 700 or so deputies in the separate area for parliamentarians plus visitors to the Reichstag to be served. One of the complications is the wide variation in numbers that occur as a result of the breaks in specific working hours and meetings. Another factor to be taken into account is the great difference in taste among members of parliament and the often very short meal times.

The Hamburg company LZ-Plan-Team für Verpflegungstechnik GmbH designed a kitchen layout over three floors after careful analysis of the location.

Tenders for the supply of the kitchen equipment were invited on a Europe-wide basis and the contract was awarded to Electrolux Therma. The decisive factors in this were the entrepreneurial concept and the level of quality to be expected.

Open plan kitchens

The catering units within the area for deputies are made up of a cafeteria, a restaurant with bistro and a clubroom. This three-way split in the catering arrangements has turned out to be quite versatile. For example, by day the bistro has a very functional feel to it, but in the evening it is transformed into an elegant restaurant offering regional specialties or international cuisine from an à la carte menu. The open plan kitchen gives diners the opportunity to see their meal being prepared before their eyes. The kitchen is equipped with cooktops fitted with “Ceran”, which improves the appearance greatly. Of course there are a number of other benefits which include the easy-to-clean smooth, non-porous glass ceramic surface, the high degree of safety provided by the flat cooktop (which can also be used as a working area), plus the heat indicators that warn kitchen staff and help against burns.

“Ceran” is standard in the kitchens of the world today. After almost 30 years, in which SCHOTT has produced more than 45 million cooktop panels, “Ceran” has now become a parliamentary standard too.