Real Talk: It’s Time to Support the People Who Feed Us

Juliane Caillouette Noble, The SRA: Nice to meet you, Cookie. I'm so thrilled to finally be here in your beautiful restaurant. Could you tell us a little bit about this restaurant — where we are and the vision behind Cookies Cream? 

Cookie Heinz Gindullis, Cookies Cream: It started a long time ago. When I was eight, my mum became vegetarian, so I became a vegetarian. Since my eighth birthday, I’ve been a vegetarian all my life. I started more in the club field. I opened my first illegal bar 30 years ago in Berlin. I kept moving and opening different bars and clubs. When I found this venue in 2006, I planned to open a club on the ground floor. For me it was clear I was going to open a restaurant too — and because I’d been vegetarian so long, I wanted to open a vegetarian restaurant. 

The main focus was atmosphere. It was very important to have a great atmosphere, amazing taste, and that you don’t realise it’s vegetarian or miss anything. That was the start of it. It took us quite a few years to get really good at cooking the food, because there were no other restaurants showing us how to make amazing vegetarian dishes. 

Back then, most vegetarian places were open for lunch. There was nothing for the evening — nothing fine dining. So we had to figure out how to cook vegetables so no one missed anything. That took about five years. 

Juliane: Was that a process of trial and error, experimentation in the kitchen? 

Cookie: First of all, it’s the ingredients. You need really amazing ingredients. Then it’s the craft — really knowing how long to cook something, how to work with products over time to make them taste even better. 

You still want caramelisation, smokiness, all that depth of flavour. Step by step we learned, and now we have a kitchen that really knows how to treat vegetables in an amazing way — bringing out that smokiness, savoury depth and richness. 

Juliane: That’s a perfect transition, because we wanted to talk today about how you source your ingredients and build those relationships with farmers. With a vegetarian restaurant like this, it’s essential to start with quality — you can’t hide anything.

Cookie: We started 17 years ago with the restaurant, and we’ve worked with farmer Peter for 15 years. We’ve had a very long relationship. There are challenges, because you can’t order whatever you want and get it tomorrow. It’s more like a pre-selection. 

In January and February, you really have to focus: what is the season going to be? And you never know exactly when it arrives, because it depends on the sun and weather. It comes earlier or later. Nature doesn’t work on a spreadsheet. But working together for so long has connected us. He knows what we need and we know what he needs. That’s why it works. 

Juliane: Where is Peter’s farm? 

Cookie: It’s about a 15-minute drive out of Berlin, near Krielow, northwest of Potsdam. It’s a small, one-man farm. His main skill is tomatoes — he makes the best tomatoes you can imagine, especially in August. He also grows lots of herbs and different types of beetroots you can’t buy in the supermarket. That was his idea 15 years ago, to adjust his farming to what we could use. 

Juliane: And how do you plan the year with him? Do you meet in January? 

Cookie: Yes. Our Head Chef meets with Peter, who tells us what’s new and what he’s experimenting with. We sit together and make a plan — quantities, qualities. Of course, it also depends on rain and sun. Then twice a week Peter delivers vegetables in season. 

We also learned to work with fermentation. When we get fresh tomatoes or vegetables, we ferment them so we can use them later in the year when fresh produce isn’t available. That makes the dishes more special: you have the fresh season, and then later you have the fermented season. 

Juliane: Pickling, fermenting — all of those preservation methods add another toolbox of flavours for you. 

Cookie: Exactly. But it means a lot of work. When the vegetables arrive, they’re alive — you have to process them right away. There’s no time off. You really have to set the system. 

Juliane: I imagine your kitchen like an Italian nonna's in August. Has this long-standing farmer relationship changed how you think about supporting farmers? 

Cookie: Yes. It’s totally different from ordering through a supplier. The pricing is also different. It’s more expensive to buy directly from farmers, but you’re supporting them. You’re helping them produce food and giving yourself special, amazing ingredients. That’s why we want to support farmers — because it creates those long-term relationships. 

We also work with Massimo, who organises our truffles in winter. He goes to Italy, works with farms there, and imports them directly. And in general, we work with a lot of Berlin producers to bring Berlin culture into our dishes. 

Juliane: Tell me more about that. What about coffee, wines, ingredients beyond vegetables? 

Cookie: The focus at Cookies Cream is local and seasonal. We work with producers across Europe but especially Germany. All of our wines are European, with a focus on Germany. 

Our coffee comes from Andraschko, a Berlin-based roaster. They make sure their beans are Fairtrade and responsibly sourced before coming to Europe. We also work with small Berlin companies starting their own production — like a Berlin beer company or fermentation businesses making soy sauces in Berlin. We also use alcohol-free drinks produced here. 

So, it’s about building a local economy that radiates out from the restaurant and creates community. But to be honest, the main thing is quality. The taste is always in focus. We want the flavour to be amazing so that people have an incredible experience. That’s the main focus. But we also try to source as much as possible from Berlin and Germany. 

Juliane: You’ve been operating for so long and were a trailblazer as a vegetarian fine dining restaurant. Was it difficult in the early days to convince people that a fine dining meal could be without meat? And how has customer perception changed over time? 

Cookie: When I opened in 2007, Berlin wasn’t really a place focused on food. It was more about DJs and dancing. Food was a small part. That changed in 2007, when foodie interest began to grow. People started focusing on restaurants and on making dishes really well. 

By 2009 to 2012, the scene in Berlin changed a lot. In the beginning, people didn’t come to us — we had a tough time. For the first three years we were basically empty. My regular guests from the clubs were upset I’d turned vegetarian. But after sticking with it and focusing on quality and atmosphere, things shifted. 

After 10 years, we managed to get a Michelin star. We never thought we would, because being vegetarian it was unheard of. If you went to a Michelin-starred restaurant then, you wouldn’t get a vegetarian menu at all. There were very few. We were very surprised. Our goal now is to keep the star, keep the experience amazing, and be as sustainable as possible. 

Juliane: It’s amazing to think you were at the forefront of something that’s now much more common, with Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurants across Europe. But you had to go against the grain: losing some regulars, reevaluating and showing people an incredible, delicious experience. We’re never going to convince people to change their behaviours for sustainability if it doesn’t also involve deliciousness. 

Cookie: It’s not only the food. It’s also the atmosphere, the architecture, the design, and the team. The team is the most important part — how they connect to guests, how they treat you, how they create the experience. 

Juliane: Hospitality. It’s so fundamental. That’s why we’re in this business. We talk about sustainability and care about these issues, but fundamentally it’s about hospitality. A beautiful experience is how you bring people in and start the conversation. 

Cookie: Farmer Peter is really focused on making the best vegetables with amazing taste. He also cares about not harming the world. His whole production is bio. It’s not certified — because certification is expensive for such a small farm — but his soil and processes have been bio for 15 years. 

Juliane: Do you find it inspires your chefs when they visit the farm and see that biodiversity? 

Cookie: Yes, every time. When you work with Peter, you love it and carry on with a new energy. We’ve even had chefs leave us to work with him for six months. That’s happened in the past - changing from night shifts in restaurants to early shifts on the farm, then delivering vegetables here by noon. It’s a totally different life. 

Juliane: And seeing that effort is so different from unpacking a crate of vegetables wrapped in plastic. 

Cookie: Exactly. Peter would never send vegetables in plastic. Everything is natural. 

Juliane: You’ve talked a lot about how he focuses on quality. Does that involve selecting different varieties for flavour? 

Cookie: Of course. First, it’s about basics — how much we need. Then he goes further, sometimes surprising us with experiments. He’ll grow something on the side and bring it to us. He treats his vegetables like his own children.  

Juliane: It’s always fun seeing a farmer’s passion, the care that goes into ingredients. Tell me about your team. How do you engage them in the story of Cookies Cream and Peter’s farm? How do you make sure they can share that story with guests? 

Cookie: When team members work here for a while, they naturally become part of it. Twice a year we visit Peter’s farm together so they understand how he works and can help with harvesting. 

It’s also the mindset from above. We’ve started communicating much more: our values, our interests, our sustainability. A few years ago, we also started focusing on this on our website. Team members applying now often mention they’re interested because of our sustainability work. 

We get many vegans and vegetarians who want to work in hospitality but don’t want to serve meat. 

Juliane: So, it becomes self-fulfilling. It fuels creativity because people are coming in with the mindset of how they want to eat and cook anyway. 

Cookie: Yes. To create one dish takes months of thinking, testing and explaining. Everyone contributes, but in the end, the dish has to really work. 

Juliane: When you first started, did you also have to take your chefs on the same journey as your guests? I imagine many weren’t vegetarians themselves. 

Cookie: Right. Back in 2007, there weren’t many vegetarian chefs. Me being vegetarian, saying I wanted a vegetarian restaurant, meant taking the team on that journey. The hardest part was sticking with it over the years until it really started working. 

Juliane: I love that. Any advice for other restaurateurs around the world who want to build hospitality venues that are better for people and planet? 

Cookie: You need passion. Your own passion as an owner is what makes the restaurant work. It’s not an easy journey, but today it’s easier because people are more open-minded. Experiment, try things, taste, and make sure you find the right dishes. Always continue with high quality. 

Juliane: Flavour first. Brilliant. Well, I can tell your passion has guided Cookies Cream for the last 17 years. That’s powerful for other businesses to see. Thank you so much. 

Cookie: You’re welcome. 

Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel and learn more about Cookies Cream here. 

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