Thore Hildebrandt

Introducing Thore Hildebrandt, a truly larger-than-life vegan cook whose passion is connecting people in the kitchen through sustainable cooking and plant-based cuisine.

A trained banker and passionate cyclist from Berlin, Thore left his banking career behind in 2016 to “rediscover the world” - an experience which inspired him to change this lifestyle.

When he’s not teaching others, he’s collaborating with some of Berlin’s biggest vegan foodies, enchanting taste buds with his vegan quiches, or entertaining guests with his dance moves!

Thore has infused those experiences (and his infectious energy!) into his food and lives by a ‘Save, Create, Taste’ philosophy, teaching others how to create delicious dishes with sustainable practices and saved food.

We spoke with Thore about fighting food waste, the importance of creativity in cooking, and his love of pasta!

What Inspired you to launch your business?

I was always excited to cook and enjoy it most to cook and create food with others. That's why I founded "Thore Hildebrandt - Nachhaltige Kocherlebnisse". I found a great way to combine cooking plant-based and fighting food waste.

I call it "Less waste cooking" - we also cook with ingredients from food-saving startups like SirPlus and Querfeld sell here in Berlin.

How long have you been vegan and what inspired you to make the transition?

I was inspired by a friend at the end of 2017 to join Veganuary. This was the start of my plant-based culinary journey which I am still following. I am not a fully vegan anymore, especially when I am travelling I opt for vegetarian options. This works best for me, 95% vegan & 5% vegetarian - that's what I tell my guests too.

Every step towards a more plant-based diet makes a difference.

What’s been your biggest challenge running a vegan business?

Vegan cuisine is sometimes connected to boring and unsatisfying food. I feel that the mix of vegan and sustainable cooking is a great combination which attracts many guests. Appreciate our resources and fight food waste. This is where I want to inspire and give advice and create yummy dishes.

Where do you get your menu inspiration from?

I love to eat vegan food from other chefs and get inspired. I also research which food is wasted most in Germany and create recipes and menus around it. Creativity is very important to me so I rarely cook the same. New creations are key to me. Especially when I rescue produce at SirPlus supermarket I create dishes with ingredients which are available - this creative part is what I love. Another source of inspiration is Instagram and the exchange with other vegan chefs.

What are your thoughts on the current vegan landscape in Berlin and Germany in general?

Personally I think we are well set in Berlin, when it comes to cafes, restaurants and supermarkets. However I feel that other cities are still progressing. While you get good vegan options in their supermarkets, the alternatives in cafes and restaurants are often limited. I hope that will change over the next few years.

Any big plans for the future of your business?

Although I love to cook in person with my guests the most - I want to strengthen my online cooking experience for companies and private customers. Here I have a much wider reach and can inspire many more people in other countries and German cities to live a more sustainable cooking and eating lifestyle. Recently I also launched my online shop where you find a fine selection of sustainable chutneys, kimchi, crackers, granola, Kombucha and spices like Kala Namak and Gomasio.

I joined Vegcraver to offer my Private Chef services. I could be exclusively cooking for my guests, but am also more than happy to turn this into a joint cooking experience where we all cook together and enjoy a homemade vegan feast.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I am an absolute pasta lover. It would be pasta with creamy umami mushroom sauce. Absolutely yum.

"Wenn schon Welt retten, dann lecker". (When saving the world, then yummy!)

Book Thore’s services through VEGCRAVER.