Nils Jorra

Why did you become a chef?

At that time, I was looking for a way to express my creativity. Studying art was not an option and since my wife was, let's say, a modest cook at the time, I considered training as a chef. I already had a passion for good food as a child and somehow the supposed rock star life of chefs appealed to me.

What is the most beautiful thing about your job?

For me, there are very different aspects of cooking or grilling that are wonderful. For example, you can always learn new things and there is inspiration everywhere. The joy of delighted guests is wonderful and then of course the ingredients. Year after year, I look forward to this time when very specific foods are in season.

What has been the biggest challenge so far?

When I came out of my apprenticeship at that time, I thought my first station was decorated with 3 stars. My start in Bensberg under Mr. Wissler was very hard. I simply had too little experience, no thick skin and my then 5-month-old son didn't let me sleep through the night. I thought about giving up almost every day. We were cooking between 16 and 19 hours a day at the time. After about a year, when I knew when and where I would go after this sation, suddenly everything was easy. I realized at that point how strong I had become and what I had done for my family.

What does respect for food mean to you?

The most obvious answer, of course, is not to throw anything away, to process everything and so on. But I think that should go without saying. For me, respect for food has a lot to do with the way I handle it in the kitchen, the cooking process and the way I present the dish. I think it's important to recognize the products, to taste them and also to know and convey the respective history.

How important is sustainability in upscale cuisine?

In my eyes, sustainability is one of the most inflationary terms of recent years. One should be very careful and responsible with this term. In my opinion, it takes a great deal of innovative spirit to be able to call oneself sustainable in this day and age. A high degree of openness to new things helps in the development of new, sustainable concepts...for the chef and also for the guest, this is a necessary process.

How exactly do you bring sustainability into your kitchen?

For example, I'm trying to change the way we handle and consume meat and fish. The focus for me is on the supposed side dishes, innovative vegetable dishes, new presentations. I don't want to re-educate anyone, but I am always pleased when guests ask me about the vegetable dishes and side dishes after one of my meat seminars. GOAL!

Why are good tools so important in your profession?

Craft means creativity for me, if I am distracted by bad knives at work, then no creative process can emerge. The "tool" slows me down instead of inspiring me. Of course, craftsmanship also means precision, and that is only possible in the kitchen with the best knives.

What is your personal connection to your handmade cutting tool?

Almost 10 years ago I was allowed to take over the culinary management of Otto Gourmet. A great cooking school was built and the equipment was of the finest! Of course, Nesmuk knives could not be missing and I remember exactly how much awe I had the first time a Nesmuk with bog oak handle in the hand.

What fascinates you about really good (Damascus) knives?

I love it when people do something with passion, I think you can see a damask knife directly that this is not just about sharpness but also about aesthetics. Such a knife can only be made with passion for his work and I think that transmits to the one who uses it.

Which Nesmuk knife is your favorite and why?

It's not so easy, they are all beautiful. Depending on the occasion and purpose, I decide on the perfect blade. However, I particularly like the idea of the Nesmuk Folder, a special folding knife in every respect. We live in a very volatile world, you're on the move a lot and often have to deal with compromises. The knives of the Folder series give you special and also familiar moments in everyday situations. Wan always, wherever. I like that.

What makes Nesmuk knives different from other knives you've worked with before?

The precision in the processing is certainly in the first place to mention. the attention to the selection of raw materials, however, I feel almost more important, while I write these lines is my Nesmuk knife bag next to me. Just the scent that this bag gives off is wonderful - and that's just the bag!

What words would you use to describe Nesmuk knives?

For me, Nesmuk is a company that has the claim to be satisfied with nothing less than the best. That is the standard here!

What inspires you?

Often I get an impulse in my work from the outside, often there are products, food, equipment, applications you need to be revived with fresh thoughts. there is a very good saying: "People don't know what they like but they like what they know! For me, this often means that I look for inspiration in familiar, lived and experienced things in order to then interpret them with my understanding of modern culinary art.

Where do you get your interpretation from?

From everyday life, that sounds trite now, I know! But there are actually moments when nothing works. We often go to a country estate with traditional agriculture, where fruit, vegetables and herbs are grown as they were 100 years ago. What is ripe can be eaten directly from the bush or shrub. Just being aware of what is currently in season helps me. But I also like to talk to people who have nothing to do with gastronomy. As a chef, you often live in a bubble and I have noticed that an exchange helps a lot.