IKA/Culinary Olympics – Training camp for German team

The German team's intensive training for the IKA/Culinary Olympics 2020 entered its critical phase at the start of this year. A training camp has just taken place in Potsdam this week under competitive conditions and using our equipment. My marketing colleagues Anja Halbauer and Jonathan Hartmann were also there close to the action and took a look behind the scenes and over the shoulders of team members, managers and trainers during preparations.

You could certainly feel the excitement in the air! The event was ultimately about deciding who is going to be allowed to cook at the Culinary Olympics and not "just" be there in a supporting function. Katrin Nitzer, newcomer to the Junior National Team, summed up the noticeable tension of all the participants, "Although support in the competition is extremely important, everyone really wants to be part of the main squad. That's what we've all been working for so long."

Without question, they can all cook excellently. "The main purpose of the training camp is to allow the chefs to merge into one single team which can perform at top level under the stressful conditions of the competition", explained Team Manager Ronny Pietzner why it's so important that these training camps take place with a test jury and under time pressure. "We're also extremely grateful for the chance to train with the original equipment used at the Culinary Olympics. Correct operation and reliability of the appliances are particularly important and so we're pleased to make full use of this home advantage." 

The three course dinner, prepared by the Junior National Team, was served to prominent guests from the region in a festive setting in the Metropolis Hall at the Filmpark Babelsberg in the evening. Guests included Filmpark owner Friedhelm Schatz, actor Steffen Schröder, Turbine Potsdam trainer Matthias Rudolph and Kevin Kuske, the most successful bobsledder ever at the Winter Olympic Games. 

We were lucky enough to enjoy the menu too and were impressed how the main themes, sustainability and regionality, are already being implemented so perfectly. It's simply amazing what you can do with an apple, but our lips are sealed for now…