― I N T E R V I E W ―
― I N T E R V I E W ―
D oes Tanja Grandits bring to mind cuisine with a feminine touch, or simply a highly personal culinary ethos? It’s a fact that dishes by Tanja, a woman who’s made Basel her home, have a unique taste and a different style to that usually found in Swiss fine gastronomy: it’s the flavours and colours that make the difference. The perfectly balanced flavours of her bass with parsley and hazelnuts and her sweetbread with cumin and spinach are a definite hit, and their presentation produces an unexpected effect on the plate. Add to that a refined atmos- phere, a huge wine list and friendly service and you have plenty of reasons why customers flock enthusiastically to her restau- rant in the city’s Bruderholz district. Whatever the challenges, this woman from Swabia in southern Germany never lets her- self be caught off balance. Her routines and interactions, her healthy lifestyle, and a good bed all help Tanja Grandits get a good night’s sleep.
Firstly, you need to have fini- shed the day in your mind. In the evening, I sit down on the sofa in the private kitchen
Is there a secret recipe for getting to sleep easily and sleeping well?
with my daughter Emma, who I work with, and we review the day – the good and the bad, then we move on; that can be learned. Anything we do regularly for three weeks becomes a
Mrs Grandits, as a gourmet and a chef you have a stressful job. Do you manage to sleep well in spite of all that?
Yes, I sleep very well! That’s my miracle cure, and has been ever since I was a young child. I fall asleep as soon as I lie down, after three or four minutes. That’s
the case every day, even when I’m on holiday. I feel sorry for all those people who don’t manage to do the same, perhaps tossing and turning for hours on end during the night. It’s a gift – but the quality of the bed and the pillow is important too. After searching for a long time, I now have a soft mattress and a special pillow that’s perfect for my neck.
habit. And one good ritual I can recommend involves lavender essential oil! It’s great to put a drop on your pillow and on the soles of your feet in the evenings. It calms me down and only takes a minute. I also believe that eating the right food helps us sleep. I use a lot of herbs and spices in my dishes, such as ca- raway. I use it for its taste rather than its properties, but it does have a beneficial effect. The environment in the bedroom must be right too: you need to create a good atmosphere. Certain plants help you sleep, and you can make the most of them too.
You have to keep working until late in the evening. Is it important to be able to know when enough’s enough and unplug?
Yes, you have to be strict with yourself to some extent. I always have to ask myself if wasting my energy is the right thing; wouldn’t it be bet- ter if I got up feeling fresh the
Sometimes waking is a bit like going to bed. What’s waking up like for you?
I wake up at half-past five in the morning without an alarm (although I do set one). It’s important to start the day
next morning? I don’t have to stay at the Stucki every evening until the last customers leave. Why should I? Of course I stay so long as we’re still serving food, checking the dishes leaving the kitchen. But I have a really great team who look after our customers properly. We have a very smooth and efficient ope- ration here; 90% of our tables are always taken! A few years ago we had 38 employees; now we have 48. I might not be able to sit down and enjoy a drink during the week, but I do love champagne!
on a good note. You just need to stay in bed for ten minutes. I smile, because I once read that we secrete happiness hor- mones when we smile, even if there’s no reason for us to! Then I stretch and do my exercises, followed by my little secret: mat- cha tea with frothy oat milk. It’s absolutely delicious! Up until two years ago, I drank far too much coffee – as many as twelve or even fifteen cups. Then one day I stopped. Now, I drink cof-
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