9/1/2020#2 - Zineb Hattab, from engineering to haute (vegan) cuisine
Season 1, Ep. 2
Zineb Hattab is one of those women who have had the courage to make a radical career change.After having studied engineering for many years, she got stuck in a job which was too stable and secure for her taste.Zineb - Zizi, as eveyone calls her, left her job a software engineer to become a chef.Fearless, convinced that hard work and determination would take her where she really wanted to be, the young Spanish woman knocked on the doors of the world's greatest chefs. And it worked!Andreas Caminada, Massimo Bottura, Dan Barber or Daniela Sotto Ines, became her mentors.Having worked in starred restaurants all over the world, she returns to her city of adoption, Zurich, and creates the place of her dreams. The Kle Restaurant, an intimate vegan place in the heart of trendy Zurich is born.Together we talk about her path, her choices and about the importance of education. She explains her choice of being vegan and the origins of her cuisine. We talk about the Covid crisis of course and you will hear us discuss the role of women in this still completely male-dominated sector.So for all lovers of fine cuisine wanting to understand its secrets, those who believe in the richness of diversity, or those who also want to also make real career change, plug in your headphones and enjoy...Time codes4:13Zizi’s mother as a brilliant figure05:02 Chefs and the medias06:27 How chefs can educate people07:43 The plant-based choice10:05 From a traditional to a vegan cuisine11:35 The perception of veganism13:50 Adapting to the Covid threat16:00 Creating a team with as many women as men in a male-dominated environment17:51 A catalan childhood, with Moroccan parents19:51 Becoming a software engineer21:14 Falling in love with Switzerland22:37 Shifting from engineering to gastronomy24:17 Money questions and first scares26:01 The first gastronomic experience : with the chef Josean Alija, at Nerua (Spain)27:02 Getting train by her mentor, Andreas Caminda (Schauenstein Castle, Switzerland)29:34 The magic and power of starred restaurants and their chefs31:29 The US experience : with Dan Barber (Blue Hill, NYC) and Daniela Soto-Innes (Cosme, NY), the best female chef in the world32:50 Gastronomy as the less hospitable place to work in35:15 The mission of the chefs36:01 Kitchens, still vey much men dominated37:01 Women should empower women, always!39:07 Creating her own restaurant, in Zurich40:13 Zurich is becoming a gastronomic hub42:21 The Kle Restaurant as a dining room with a mix of cultures45:44 Local producers46:50 Financing the restaurant48’18 The daily life of the chef51’24 Normalising eating plant-based as a goal52’24 Final questionsLinksChefs & mentorsJosean Alija, Nerua (Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain) @joseanalija, www.joseanalija.comAndreas Caminda (Schauenstein Castle, Fürstenaubruck, Switzerland) @andreas_caminada_schauensteinDan Barber (Blue Hill, NYC), @chefdanbaberDaniela Soto-Innes (Cosme, NYC), @danielasotoinnes, @cosmenycKle Restaurant:www.restaurantkle.com, @klerestaurantFood Producers for the Kle RestaurantAnimal Sanctuary Hof Narr:www.hof-narr.chFair-trade nuts supplier: Gebana: www.gebana.comChocolate supplier: Felchlin: www.felchlin.comHelp me grow up Brillantes!If you liked the episode, please share it with as many people as possible, rate it with 5 stars and subscribe to the podcast on your listening platform. This help will be extremely precious to meAnd if you don't want to miss anything that happens on Brillantes, follow Brillantes and her host on social networks!Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/brillantes.media/LinkedInJeanne du Sartelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannedusartel/Brillantes:https://www.linkedin.com/company/brillantes