He has cooked all over the world, lived in Asia and earned himself a place in the culinary elite with three Michelin stars - now Thomas Bühner is starting a new chapter in Düsseldorf. In the Rhine metropolis, home to the third-largest Japanese community in Europe, he is opening La Vie by Thomas Bühner, an Asian-inspired fine dining restaurant on the ONE METRO Campus in Flingern. His concept combines Asian flavours, French elegance and European craftsmanship. In this interview, Bühner talks about his deep connection to Asian cuisine, the specialities of a discerning clientele and the fine line between inspiration and cultural appropriation.
Thomas, what characterised you most during your time in Asia: the ingredients, the techniques or the attitude towards food?
What impressed me most in Asia was the degree to which food is valued. It's not about satisfying the basic need of appetite like it is here, but rather meals structure the day and are reserved for family and friends.
In Düsseldorf, your cuisine meets a particularly discerning Asian/Japanese community. What expectations do you encounter here? And how would you like to meet these guests with your own style?
We already had a very international and discerning clientele in Osnabrück. That's why we've been able to gain a lot of experience there over the years, which we're naturally utilising here and hope that our offering will be a real enrichment for the diversity in Düsseldorf. I hope that the people of Düsseldorf will be open-minded towards us.
You say that your cuisine combines two culinary worlds - European and Asian. Where do you draw the line between inspiration and cultural appropriation? Does that even exist in cooking?
In my kitchen and with me, it is very clear that food should never provoke or marginalise anyone. For me, cultural appropriation in the culinary arts begins when people claim that they are preparing something authentically without naming or honouring its origin, when clichés are used to make something seem authentic. None of this will be the case with us - we just want to combine the best of both worlds. Be it in terms of the products, the preparation, the flavour or simply the way we prepare the food. We don't want to lecture or convince people, we just want to give them enjoyable moments that they will remember fondly.
