Marcel Thiele is a well-known personality in the culinary world. He is the brand ambassador of the company Koppert Cress B.V. in the Netherlands. He appears worldwide at congresses or on TV shows. His expertise is sought after by companies and he is the first and only Spicehunter® in the world, a calling and knowledge that he has earned himself. We received an exciting interview about his mission, own charity projects in Nepal and an upcoming book.

November 11, 2021

Interview Directory 

TRAVEL

Name: Marcel Thiele, Spicehunter®

Occupation: Master chef, lecturer and advisor to research institutes, author, TV star

Location: Travels the world

He also built a school: "After the big earthquake, the world looked to Kathmandu - but Sankhuwasabha was also affected."

"Spice stands for all the functional substances we use from the plant world to make culinary art what it ultimately is - the means to bring life but also to ensure that all people are filled with essential nutrients."

You are travelling internationally as an expert and brand ambassador for Koppert Cress B.V and also known as the Spicehunter®. Can you please explain what the job of a Spicehunter® is?

Spicehunter® is a specialised field from Food Hunting. I travel around the world to find the "Spice" - flowers, leaves, roots, barks, spices, herbs and micro plants, everything that people use to bring their food into balance. Spice stands for all the functional substances we use from the plant world to make culinary art what it ultimately is - the means to bring life but also to ensure that all people are filled with essential nutrients.

How did the name Spicehunter® come about?

The name came out of funny conversations with my photographer and a judge who asked me to trademark this name and the knowledge behind it. I chose my profession as Spicehunter® when I was dealing with a lot of cultures and studying gastrosphy. I always ask myself where things come from that we consider commonplace today. 

Spicehunter®

Are you engaged in gastrosophy?

I worked with Markus Winkler, the then owner of a spice company in Salzburg, who was one of the initiators of the Gastrosophie movement. For me, Gastrosophie is a passion to get to the bottom of the origin. Why did we as humans decide to prepare things the way we do today or what did we do wrong in the past. We should also look more closely and realise that some of the things we consider regional were exotic 400 years ago - some were even deadly when eaten incorrectly but are now part of our origins.

"I always wanted to be two steps ahead because I was fascinated by my own drive and to question things."

Is gastronomy your calling?

I grew up in a family of gastronomers and was already standing at the cooker when I couldn't even look over it. I actually wanted to study law, but my parents convinced me to learn to be a chef to carry on the family legacy. I always wanted to be two steps ahead because I was fascinated by my own drive and to question things. My apprenticeship was also about not only learning how to cook, but also to get to know different trades, like that of the bakers or the butchers or even the trade.

I graduated after only 2.5 years. Then I received my call-up and went to basic training in the navy on Sylt. After 2 months I came on board a ship in Portsmyth with Nato marching orders. I didn't want to spend my free time at the harbour, but travelled to the countries. I wanted to be at the origin and planned everything in advance - coffee plantations in Brazil or pineapple fields from St. Lucia. During this time, I built up a network of contacts even before social media became present, but this was very time-consuming and expensive. I took the opportunity to learn from the top chefs in each country, I worked at Al'Cove in Dakar - Senegal, Hotel Panama in Panama and Restaurant Piment Banana in Tamatave Madagascar. I always want to be on the pulse, to connect not only with producers, but also with restaurant owners, private people, families whether in South Africa, Nepal, India, Vietnam, America, Canada. Through this network, I can now quickly verify almost any headline.

On travel in Africa Spicehunter®

Can you tell me about your beginnings in the profession?

Spice companies, chocolate companies, coffee producers and also star chefs sent me on trips. That was good, because in the beginning I didn't have the means I have today to finance my travels with expedition teams and photographers. The first time I travelled to Nepal on behalf of a spice company, I came back with a repertoire of 35 spices and herbs. The project was a corporate social responsibility project with the support of Austria - a Himalayan Alps project. From the point of view of the company that used liquid fillings, dryings and blends, only 6 spices and herbs could be implemented. I was able to refer the 29 other spices found to other companies or individuals.

"I gave it a new name -

the Mother Earth principle."

You are known for working with the Mother Earth principle. Is this your creation?

Chefs and culinary arts are hungry and looking for guiding principles. The global culinary industry has a great responsibility. At Koppert Cress I got to know something I had missed with Dutch Cuisine. Dutch Cuisine is an independent style of Dutch cuisine with reduced meat consumption. It fascinated me a lot, as it was an answer I had been looking for for a long time. On the other hand, I was irritated because I thought that the Netherlands, or rather Rob Baan, would not succeed so quickly because reduced meat consumption would not hit the core of any nation. I also cooked together with indigenous peoples in Nigeria, Namibia, Buthan or Nepal and realised that these principles had long been known there. I gave it a new name - the Mother Earth principle. It is based on meat reduction - not elimination. 80% of the dish should be of plant origin, 20% of animal origin at most, but of the highest possible quality. 

Another big point is regionality and seasonality, which have partly taken on extremist traits. It is discussed whether food should come from 66 km or 100 km away. Our own food culture, let alone a sophisticated cuisine, would no longer be feasible without coffee, tea or wine. The 80/20 principle also applies to regionality and seasonality - the Mother Earth principles.

I have also designed a Mother Earth dish. It consists of flexibility, seasonality, regionality and individuality of the cook. On the plate, the bottom layer is a vegetable or food that is harvested from under the earth - e.g. potatoes, asparagus or turnips. Above that is an edible earth - this can be a shredded brownie or toasted Kraft bread or fermented seeds. Above the soil can be animal foods up to 20 % meat. But the vegetables should have the bigger stage.

Can you realise your visions in the Koppert Cress company?

The Koppert Cress company has touched me personally because they realise Rob Baan's vision. It inspires me to be surrounded by people who are looking for solutions and we are driven to bring all the diversity of nature to people. People need to put aside their pride of knowing everything. I am the living example that even in this day and age you can still find new spices.

"Women are not only different - they eat differently."

In your Spicehunter® philosophy, you also address the role of women in food.

Women are not only different - they eat differently. The male-dominated profession of chefs can learn an incredible amount from women in how they approach the means to life, or food. 

Our human history shows that women eat differently. From the humane point of view, the woman is the information carrier for the next generation. She chooses food for her child, is more sensitive to knowledge and stores taste differently than men. I have found that chefs want to cook for women because they are the greater multiplier; a woman knows how to describe the dish in more flowery words than a man after a visit to a restaurant. Even in the design of the plate, chefs think about intriguing a woman.

"Is there the real idea in simplicity?"

You often say that there should be simplicity in culinary arts.

I am always inspired to see things differently and to question even complicated techniques. Is there the real idea in simplicity? I have cooked with many top-class gastronomers, where the simplest things were the most incredibly ingenious. For me, simplicity is the solution but also the challenge. It is not an art to paint a picture out of 9 colours. The real art is to do it with just a few colours.

How do you find your inspiration for new dishes?

First of all, it's a question of the season. My sources of inspiration are impressions, connections from human architecture and nature. The way of arranging is one pillar, the second pillar is the technique. My real inspiration is the meaningfulness of things - so I would never put a lobster together with dairy products. The photography angle also gave me a different approach, for example to present a vegetarian dish convincingly to a meat lover. I am also inspired by old dishes, because the future is also in our past. European culture has all the solutions and we have a strong culture and past that can easily compete with an Asian culture. Our own culinary culture is like a blurred mirror. We are drifting into Asianisation or Americanisation. However, a chef should bring his own achievements into the future in an evolutionary way. 

You do everything in your life with passion & discipline.

Yes, I am passionate about everything. But when you do something with passion, it also has rough edges. My own career has not always been positive. I saw a lot of suffering on my travels, which changed me and my world view a lot. Now I have a completely different way of thinking about many things.

You are currently writing a book. What other new projects are there to look forward to?

Frank Fol of We're Smart World from Belgium asked me to participate in a project about an Argan oil from the company Arqan SARL. The top culinary elite of Europe will be united to present this new oil, which will be one of the highest quality oils in the world. The trees are part of the Unesco World Heritage and we are implementing a reclamation programme to protect the stand. It will be a limited Argan oil promoted by Spicehunter®. I am also working on my new book with my co-author Claudia Piller-Kornherr. It will not be a cookbook but a book about my travels and my knowledge in connection with herbs and spices. It will also be about culture, politics and science, which will merge with my reports of experiences from these countries. Of course, absolutely new knowledge about herbs will also be shared.

"After the big earthquake, the world looked to Kathmandu - but Sankhuwasabha was also affected."

Can you tell me about your charity projects?

I entered a Sankhuwasabha region as one of the first Europeans, a region that is not developed for tourism and was not accessible until recently. I set off for the Cardamon Mountains to reveal the purple cardamom to the world. With the Sherpas we were on the road for over 3 days and one day on foot because there were no vehicles. Then I discovered a school that fascinated me and needed help. Nepal made something different out of me and out of a spontaneous decision I left all my expedition money with the school.

Later, I transferred money to the school myself and was able to follow their investments, from school skeletons to weatherproof posters. I travel there regularly, take entrepreneurs with me and also host Spicehunter® dinners to raise money for the school.

After the big earthquake, the world looked to Kathmandu - but Sankhuwasabha was also affected and my school, which is the only fortified building in the region, had been destroyed. My international appeal for help was unsuccessful and so I travelled there myself and used my own money for reconstruction. This region can only establish itself, prepare for the future and protect its own culture through education. For me, it is one of the most beautiful cultures in the world and at the same time one of the most beleaguered.

"The farmer is the richest in the world."

As a final question, I would like you to tell me the message you would like to deliver.

The farmer is the richest in the world. I see in our culinary arts the hope that things we have done wrong will be grandly eliminated. In supermarkets you see unnecessarily produced food that ties up a lot of resources. This is partly to blame for the situation we find ourselves in today. I have often said that food is not fun - food is deadly serious. Eating may be enjoyable and adapted to the situation, but it is about keeping people healthy and saving resources.

Many people from the arts, business, politics have encouraged me that I can make things happen. Through my connections in many countries, I can verify things and headlines more easily. I feel driven by an inner energy to share my knowledge, create change and connect the right people.

©Marcel Thiele, Spicehunter®