Vroni Lutz
“If I realized everything that happens in my head, I would really be cooking 24-7.”
Vroni Lutz, the likeable all-rounder from Riedering, is a chef, café owner and social media professional all rolled into one. In this interview, she talks about the challenges and opportunities of social media, her honest cooking and why authenticity is the key to success in gastronomy. Discover what’s behind her recipe for success and why pasta with vongole and miso paste has cult status with her. A look at a woman who follows her passion and inspires not only guests but also fans.
“Food in my head”
ALEXANDRA GORSCHE: Dear Vroni Lutz, for all those who haven't visited you yet, what can your guests expect?
VRONI LUTZ: I'm going to say a very casual, but down-to-earth, good café, café-cook concept.
Is there a dish that you absolutely love to cook and that your guests always ask for?
Yes, roast pork is often a lunchtime dish for us. And on Friday evenings it's often pasta with vongole. I often make pasta with vongole and miso paste. It doesn't seem to be available anywhere else and our guests really like it.
You are very present on social media. You have a great channel. How important is social media for you?
That's a good question. It's both a bit of a curse and a blessing. Well, it's a great blessing for the business, I have to say that. But of course it's now this “have to deliver”, this “have to deliver content”. I'm not the classic generation that grew up with it. Sometimes it's a bit exhausting because it also takes a bit of time. Sometimes I ask myself: Okay, what do I do now? What do I film now? And because I do it very amateurishly and without professional equipment, it's sometimes just different. I only film what I do in the café or what I cook at home. And that keeps it within limits. But there is this pressure to deliver. It's not easy.
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs who haven't quite got to grips with the topic yet? How can they get started? How can you approach it?
Find your channel, be authentic. I think that's also what you see on my channel. It's just very authentic. And that's why it actually works. That's probably the only reason, because I do the same thing as thousands of other chefs. But I'm just really me. And I think that's really the basis. Be authentic, really show what you do. Don't try to be something you're not, but really show it as it happens. And people are never disappointed when they come to you and say: Okay, yeah, that's really cool. You never have to pretend. Pretending is the worst thing you can do.
Where do you get your inspiration for your creativity, for your dishes?
If I were to implement everything that happens in my head, I would really be cooking 24-7. Sometimes I go to the cold store in the morning and only then do I know what I'm going to have for lunch. So these are often spontaneous things. But I'm constantly working on food in my head.
But as long as you stay true to yourselves, it will work eventually. It really does. So just do it.
Regional, down-to-earth and honest
If you had to describe your culinary focus in three words, what would they be?
As regional as possible, very down-to-earth and very honest.
What does honesty in the kitchen mean to you?
Honesty simply means that the processing of the products, this down-to-earth, I'm going to say home cooking, is a level of nice play for me, actually for me a very honest cuisine.
When you go out to eat, where do you go?
It varies. Very different. I go to a pub, I go to an Italian restaurant, which of course is everywhere here.
If you had one piece of advice for the youngsters out there, what would it be?
Don't let them get you down. Do what you feel like doing. Keep at it, don't stop. If you really want something, then go for it and push through. And there are always people who say, what kind of nonsense is that? It's not working, are they crazy? Or what do I know? But as long as you stay true to yourselves, it will work eventually. It really does. So just do it.
Wonderful, then I say thank you for your time, dear Vroni!
Vroni Lutz in fast-forward
Five minutes to cook a dish, what will it be?
Tartare
Spicy cheese or creamy ice cream?
Ice cream
Culinary art or storytelling?
Culinary art
Insects or 3D-printed food?
Do I have to give an answer? Then: insects.
The hero of my childhood?
Pippi Langstrumpf
Facebook, Instagram or TikTok?
Instagram
If I were a dish, I would be?
Roast pork
Gold flakes or caviar?
Caviar
Perfection or creativity?
Creativity
Spring with asparagus or fall with pumpkin?
Spring with asparagus
Thai curry or truffle pasta?
Truffle pasta before a drink, Thai curry for a hangover breakfast.
Chaos or always on plan?
Always chaos
“Stuerzer” and cook at BR
Vroni Siflinger Lutz lives in Riedering, where she runs the “Stuerzer” café/restaurant. At Café Stuerzer, most of her work is in the kitchen, where her heart is. She is also the manager and restaurant manager.
In addition to her work at Stuerzer, she works as a chef at BR, where she hosts her own program “Vronis Lieblingsschmankerl”, as well as at WDR. She writes recipes for customers, photographs them professionally and publishes them on social media to increase her customers' reach. She also runs her own Instagram channel and that of “Stuerzer”.
But as long as you stay true to yourselves, it will work eventually. It really does. So just do it.
Photos by Vroni Lutz provided
