Tastelab Zürich

13/02/2024

Whatever you do in the kitchen, the food’s story, its intention and the whole work and thought that has gone into that single dish can only reach the guests with an amazing Front of House team.

To be able to cater for all the culinary needs of the AI House’s guests, we travelled to Davos with eight chefs, three baristas and a service team of nine people.

Although we do love everything tech and digital, we are very aware that what in the end makes a project come to live - and makes it memorable - is our Front of House team.

We were so happy to see that, even after thousands of coffees, countless runs up and down the kitchen service stairs, impossible logistics and barely any breaks, you were your friendly, chirpy and happy selves - combined with the utmost professionalism and skill.

Thank you!


canto





Collaboration with

07/02/2024

For each project we cater for, we design a new menu from scratch: tailor-made to the season, the event setup and especially - and that’s maybe what makes us unique - to the theme of the event.

At this years World Economic Forum we were responsible for the entire gastronomic offering of the AI House, the central hub for all things Artificial Intelligence for that week in Davos.
Obviously our client - and us! - wanted to showcase this theme also in the food we served to their guests.

Now what the hell has AI to do with food & cooking?
Actually a lot!

Machine learning algorithms can be used anywhere - even in the kitchen!
Why some ingredients go surprisingly well together is not down to magic, but because they share key aromas.

The Art & Science of Foodpairing determines an ingredients specific aromatic profile using gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry - measuring each and every flavour molecule.

Complex molecular patterns are grouped into 14 aroma types - with subgroups each - using machine learning. Foodparing algorithms compare these results to the other 1700+ ingredients in the database to determine the best matches for new and exciting pairings.

Inspired by this mind-opening approach, we are pairing celeriac with kaki, apple with hay and chocolate with chipotle chili.

Our custom designed menu cards, picturing two paired ingredient’s flavour profiles, gave our guests a glimpse into this fantastic world - in a playful, visually appealing and easy to digest way.

Project collaboration with






The Art & Science of Foodpairing (web platform & book)

14/11/2023

Danke Züri Vegan für den coolen Bericht und die Fotos!

(Der ist uns irgendwie durch die Lappen und erst jetzt wieder aufgetaucht. 😊)

Schönt wart ihr bei uns zum Dinner - das hat uns sehr gefreut! 🥰

10/10/2023

We had much fun at our dinner pop-up at Kunsthaus a week ago!
It was pure joy to see so many familiar faces - many of whom have known us since the very start on Polyterrasse in 2016! - and serve them our newest creations.

A full house with great vibes and four chefs working in the worlds smallest kitchen.

Many thanks to
.cctv for hosting uscafe for serving with us
for sharing your kitchen with us

Off to the next project, sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know!

11/05/2023

When it comes to plant-based food, no question is more divisive than the existence of vegan alternatives to non-vegan originals.

Should plant-based sausages be forbidden?
Is there space for a vegan döner in this world?
Should nut-based cheeses ever be allowed to call themselves “cheese”?

Sometimes our guests ask us why some of our dishes are inspired by a non-vegan original (eg our Pâté Foix, vegetable charcuterie made out root vegetables or a Planted chicken yakitori skewer) and why we don‘t “just cook vegan food”.

We believe that the best path to a more sustainable future is not a “this OR that” but a “this AND that”-approach.

We do love to completely reinvent things and serve ingredients and dishes no one has ever seen or tasted before. But we also do like to serve new interpretations of known non-vegan dishes.
After all, our guests - and also we! - grew up in an environment where animal products were and are omnipresent and are beloved for their taste and textures. Very often we have deep emotional connections to certain flavours - my mum’s legendary Zopf comes to mind - or we love a certain dish in a specific context - like eggs for brunch.

And even if we are convinced that we have to leave large parts of our dietary habits behind us, it does not need to mean that the culinary future has to look all so different from what it looks like now.

We always say: we love traditions but we are not nostalgic.
So bring it on with the - carefully and thoughtfully crafted - replacements.

Here is a dish where we took the “completely vegan original dish”-route though: not a reminiscent looking omnivore dish in sight!

Lentil Tempeh / Pressure-caramelized Sweet Potato / Fave Beans / Dashi Emulsion / Wild Garlic

11/05/2023

When it comes to plant-based food, no question is more divisive than 
the existence of vegan alternatives to non-vegan originals.

Should plant-based sausages be forbidden?
Is there space for a vegan döner in this world?
Should nut-based cheeses ever be allowed to call themselves “cheese”?

Sometimes our guests ask us why some of our dishes are inspired by a non-vegan original (eg our Pâté Foix, vegetable charcuterie made out root vegetables or a Planted chicken yakitori skewer) and why we “don’t just cook vegan food”.

We believe that the best path to a more sustainable future is not a “this OR that” but a “this AND that”-approach.

We do love to completely reinvent things and serve ingredients and dishes no one has ever seen or tasted before. But we also do like to serve new interpretations of known non-vegan dishes.
After all, our guests - and also we! - grew up in an environment where animal products were and are omnipresent and are beloved for their taste and textures. Very often we have deep emotional connections to certain flavours - my mum’s legendary Zopf comes to mind - or we love a certain dish in a specific context - like eggs for brunch.

And even if we are convinced that we have to leave large parts of our dietary habits behind us, it does not need to mean that the culinary future has to look all so different from what it looks like now.

We always say: we love traditions but we are not nostalgic.
So bring it on with the - carefully and thoughtfully crafted - replacements.

Here is a dish where we took the “completely vegan original dish”-route though:
not a reminiscent looking omnivore dish in sight!

Lentil Tempeh / Pressure-caramelized Sweet Potato / Fave Beans / Dashi Emulsion / Wild Garlic

17/03/2023

One aspect we love most about our work is the interdisciplinary nature of it:
We not only serve food but also stories and knowledge alongside with it - recently focusing on ‘The future of food’.

The topic of sustainability in food is enormously complex and can leave you very easily overwhelmed.

That’s why we like to boil things down to the essence and present one set of facts in a visually appealing and easy to digest way.

The backside of our current menu card displays the huge difference in CO2 emissions various produce have - and is also the reason it has to be folded up!

And whilst we fully acknowledge that the data we used to produce this infographic is based on worldwide averages, that there are always exceptions and that it does not factor in other elements like social impact or animal welfare - it does give you a sense of scale for the ENORMOUS impact animal products have - and how low the emissions could be if you focus on plant-based produce.
🌱

06/03/2023

Apple & Alpine Thyme Shrub

Shurbs are one of our favorite non-alcoholic beverage offerings. They are super tasty, refreshing and are not too sweet - which alternative options like fruit juice or lemonades often are. Also there are endless options for great and exciting flavor pairings.
Shurbs are vinegar-soured drinks, flavoured with fruits, vegetables, herbs and/or spices and sweetened lightly with sugar.
Usually we use a combination of a fruit-flavoured vinegar and a complementing syrup. Very often we use leftover products from homemade fruit preserves and pickles and mix and match as we please.
Always a winner!

22/02/2023

Waiting for spring…
Green Asparagus / Sunflower Seeds / Buckwheat / Vegan Hollandaise

29/11/2022

Just like foie gras. But vegan.

We are super happy to announce the launch of our first own product: Tastelab’s Pâté Foix, the perfect foie gras alternative based on nuts. 

It’s crazy delicious and incredibly smooth & creamy. And best, it’s rich flavour profile pairs with so many things. Check back here to see how we serve our Pâté Foix.

Exclusively produced for this Christmas season - in strictly limited quantities.
Pre-order until December 6 to get your glass until December 20.
For yourself to level-up your festive menu or as the perfect exclusive gift.

Click the link in the bio.

20/11/2021

Unsere Gründerin und Küchenchefin Susanne Tobler hat jetzt auch ihre eigene "Story for future". 🥳

Danke, Stories for future!

Eigentlich habe ich Astrophysik studiert. Mein erstes bezahltes Catering habe ich aber bereits mit elf Jahren gemacht. Und in der ersten Oberstufe im Schulklassenlager habe ich für alle gekocht…

10/09/2021

Übernächste Woche sind wir im Karl der Grosse eingeladen - wir freuen uns auf den spannenden "Doppelmoral"-Talk.

Kommt uns doch besuchen - es hat noch Tickets! 😊

Karl der Grosse – das Haus in der Zürcher Altstadt – versteht sich als Plattform für Auseinandersetzungen in Politik und Gesellschaft. Karl der Grosse vermi

17/07/2021

Food isn't only about what's on the plate.
What we eat is so so much bigger than that.

Food is art.
Food is science.
Food is culture.

Since the first Tastelab projects in 2016 we always aim to not only serve food in incredible and inspiring settings but also "food for thought" alongside with it.

Over the years we deep-dived into a wide variety of subjects:

The science behind cooking in general
The science of preserving food
The science of what happens in the brain whilst we eat
The effect of color on how we taste food
The design element of food - from a biological and chemical but also man-made perspective
The sustainability of food
The cultural perception of food and it's (double) standards

With each of these topics we conduct in-depth, methodical and science-based research.
Luckily as scientists, that way of working and thinking is in our bones!

The next challenge is to condense these - often super complex and overwhelming! - findings and package them into digestable information bites.
Then we invent and design creative ways to transport them:

Fun Illustrations. Inspiring Pictures. Instructive Videos. Easy-to-read plots and charts.
And even games!

Visually appealing. Immersive. Inspiring. Interactive.

Our ability to transform complex scientific content into fun, inspiring and easily digestible information-portions has led us to project work developing tailor-made digital and analog content for our clients.
Sometimes alongside our delicious food - sometimes on its own.

Over the next couple of weeks we'd like to showcase the creative work we do in creating content - the perfect way to complement any meal or event!