A great man, a Michelin-starred chef, a traveller, an explorer of countries and of his own inner self. Pietro Leemann speaks freely about energy — from nuclear power in Switzerland to clean energy. Which is a synonym for love.
From an early age, Pietro Leemann grew up loving the land and nature, playing and working with his parents in the family vegetable garden. After his studies, he devoted himself to travel and personal development until the age of 29, in Switzerland, Japan and India. Having trained and worked in restaurants specialising in traditional Italian and French cuisine, he went on to work with masters such as Angelo Conti Rossini, Gualtiero Marchesi and Frédy Girardet. In 1989 he founded Joia, which became a unique centre of excellence in Europe: the first Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant.
An approach in which nothing is overlooked — the sourcing of raw ingredients, food combinations, creative inspiration, the ritual blessing before dishes are carried into the dining room.
Pietro Leemann, himself a master to a new generation of chefs, was among the first to assert that food is decisive for physical and mental wellbeing and is nourishment for body, mind and spirit.
It is for this reason that he founded The Vegetarian Chance, authored the splendid inter-religious menu at Expo Milan 2015, and has long been an attentive scholar of the relationships between philosophy, religion and diet. He now broadens his inquiry and reflections with us at LifeGate to encompass civic engagement, sustainability and energy choices.
Let's start with the most topical news. Switzerland has decided to turn the page definitively on energy with a referendum mandating a gradual phase-out of nuclear power, while at the same time promoting the development of renewable sources. The popular vote showed a clear majority in favour — 58.2 per cent — a figure that exceeded even expectations, given that pre-vote polls had suggested a less decisive result.
I have to say that, for once, I was one of those who voted on the winning side! I usually vote for the side that doesn't win. The satisfaction was immense. I see it as a choice made with a great sense of civic responsibility, because the opposing camp spoke only of economics and of arguments that need to be left behind. The Swiss chose what will be their future and that of their children. What saddened me was that the debate focused heavily — almost exclusively — on economics. We need to talk about the environment, health and people's wellbeing. Knowing how much more the energy transition will cost each Swiss citizen is simply not as important as the great changes ahead: the decommissioning of nuclear plants, the reduction in consumption… because not only does energy need to be produced from renewable sources — it also needs to be saved.
The Swiss are certainly people who sometimes take a little while to get there, but once they do, they move like trains. On everything to do with organic food and sustainability, they got there many years ago, and before long all of agriculture will be clean. One other thing — and I say this with a small tear — is that 2050 feels rather a long way off. We need to wake up now, act now; it can be done now. People can make things change long before 2050.
Since 1989, Joia has been on Via Panfilo Castaldi, in a neighbourhood — the Lazzaretto — that cannot exactly be described as celebrated for its architectural beauty. The area is now becoming iconic for the city: from Porta Venice to Loreto there is the highest density of vegetarian restaurants, delightful and trendy bars. A transition from ugly to beautiful, from grey to green, is under way — perhaps a reflection, in some way, of the shift from fossil fuels to renewables?
This neighbourhood, where I have indeed been for nearly thirty years, is emblematic. I used to look at it and it seemed to me like the casbah of Milan; now it could be called the Soho of Milan — a place where great changes are conceived and put into action.
In reality, the whole of Milan has moved in this direction. And, in reality, all people have moved in this direction too.
Twenty-six years ago, when I opened, people at lunch would eat pasta with tomato sauce and other things that, being vegetarian, I won't even name. Today people have opened up to the world, to change; they know what is good for them. These same people make considered choices with regard to the environment and energy, because it is all one and the same thing.
Ultimately, food and energy are closely linked — inseparable. A considered choice from the perspective of vegetarian and healthy eating shares the same underlying logic as the choice of clean, renewable energy.
To close: there are people who have worked with you who have said that you transformed their profession, turning them from a sun with cold rays into a sun that finally gives warmth. This too has to do with the definition of energy. Shall we give it a new one?
Nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything is transformed. But lately, we must admit, we have destroyed a great deal, squandering resources and energy — sometimes quite senselessly.
It would be enough simply to open our eyes and our arms and welcome everything that surrounds us. There is then an even more fundamental energy: that of the relationship between people, between us and our nourishment, between us and what we give to others. This energy must be pure and cultivated through good choices. In this way, relationships improve — and it is an energy that is not called sun, wind or earth, but love. Which is, in the end, a synonym for all of them.