What makes working as retreat chefs so special to us ...

Connection

There is something very special about cooking for people over the course of several days. We meet you in the morning right after you wake up, accompany you throughout the day, and send you to bed with our dinner in the evening. Along the way, connections are built, recipes are shared, special requests are asked through the kitchen door, and feedback is called into the kitchen. We truly value this closeness and the personal connection that comes with it.

Oases

Every place our work brings us to feels like an oasis in its own way. In between the busy hours, we experience breaks that feel almost like holidays — the perfect way to recharge between meals. Some of these places are introduced here alongside our recipes.

Atmosphere

The themes of the retreats and seminars always find their way into our kitchen as well. Especially when topics such as mindfulness, gratitude practices, and personal growth are being explored, we often feel it through particularly heartfelt feedback. A simple comment about the food can become an energy boost that makes tired legs disappear and motivates us to prepare something extra for the next day.

Flexibility

We cook in new kitchens, new places, and for new people all the time. We are constantly adapting to different circumstances, setting kitchens up and packing them down again. Flexibility, the ability to improvise, and the willingness to embrace the unknown are incredibly important in our work. These challenges keep everything exciting and fresh — certainly not for everyone, but definitely for us.

Travel

Through cooking, we have discovered Germany in a very special way. The road to seminar houses almost always leads us into the countryside, crossing through regions we had never visited before. We find that incredibly exciting. Beyond Germany’s countryside, our work has already taken us to Portugal, Spain, Wales, France, Austria, Morocco, and Sweden. Alongside the work itself, these experiences create memories that stay with us for a long time.

Growth

Being self-employed can be very challenging at times. There is no safety net around us, no paid holidays or sick days, and no one showing us how things should be done. On the other hand, we are our own bosses, nobody tells us what to do, and what we create truly feels like our own baby. Being self-employed comes with many advantages and many challenges — and we love it.

Responsibility

Cooking for people over several days comes with a special kind of responsibility. In this context, it becomes especially important to cook in a way that is nourishing, easy to digest, and enjoyable for as many people as possible. It is a delicate balance between creative, sometimes unusual cooking and meals that still feel approachable to most people. We also need to consider that not everyone tolerates legumes, onions, garlic, or cruciferous vegetables well. That is why nutritional value, digestibility, and enjoyment for everyone are all essential parts of our menu creation process.

We love accompanying retreats and seminars through food and nourishing people with good meals over the course of several days. For us, it is not only about making sure everyone is full, but about making food a meaningful part of the entire experience — from the first coffee in the morning to the final dinner of the day.

If you are looking for a kitchen team for your retreat, workshop, or group trip that cooks healthy, creative, and colourful food, we would love to hear from you. You can learn more about our work here on our website.

If you are interested, feel free to use the contact form or send us an email at contact@apricus-kitchen.com.

Sunny greetings,

Apricus Kitchen