SNOW Alps 25-26 web - Flipbook - Page 34
SKI TO LUNCH
that supply his kitchen. With a loop of the hand, he mimics the
yearlong shifts in altitude he employs to source ingredients – from
apples of the Merano Valley to porcini handpicked at 1,200 metres.
Niederkofler’s passions extend beyond the menu del giorno.
“The concept of a sustainable future – it doesn’t make any sense
if it ends with me,” he explained. In collaboration with the Free
University of Bolzano, he launched a ground-breaking threeyear degree program “Gastronomy and Oenology”, shaping
the next generation of chefs. “Cook the Mountain” is also
showcased at his newly opened Atelier Moessmer in nearby
Brunico – awarded three Michelin stars and a Green Star just
four months after opening, a world record.
“I left home at 17,” Norbert tells me. “And I’ve been going
ever since.” Keen to see the world, he financed his travels by
cooking. His journey — from early kitchen gigs in London and
Germany — brought him full circle. “It’s not Aman,” he says
with a smile, “It’s my vision, I’m my own boss, and it’s fun.”
And for all its philosophy, AlpiNN is fun. Perhaps it’s the
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open kitchen, the phalanx of young be-toqued sous chefs, or
the sommelier wearing jeans and a Patagonia jacket. Linger if
you like over espresso and grappa, but save time for the other
cultural attractions just steps from AlpiNN. (Italians love to get
the skiing-to-playtime ratio right. Consider the approach of
playboy-ski racer Alberto “La Bomba” Tomba: “I used to have
a wild time with three women until 5am,” he said, but to save
energy for the Olympic Games, “I will live it up with five women
until 3am.”)
The Messner Mountain Museum Corones is the final
installment in legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner's
series of tributes to the world’s great peaks. Designed by the
late Zaha Hadid, the striking museum houses exhibits that
chronicle the history, spirit, and madness of alpinism. Next
door, the Lumen Museum is a shrine to mountain photography,
from the earliest grainy daguerreotypes to the dramatic drone
footage of today. The perfect complement to a very good lunch
– and 360 degrees of life at altitude.
