International Gourmet - Creative Cooking Courses for Expats

Hilly van Swol and Marcel T. Müller joint interest in people and places, and their passion for creative cooking, inspired them to bring all this together in culinary programs and expat networking events, and to establish Expat Cuisine In Frankfurt, Germany.

Hilly says that having relocated many times herself, she knows how hard it is for newcomers - Arriving somewhere new, with language issues, an unfamiliar culture and not having your network let alone your social contacts. In her role as a professional intercultural trainer she sees how people, regardless where they come from, struggle in the beginning.

Expats Guide: Tell us a little about Expat Cuisine and international gourmet

Hilly : ExpatCuisine offer a platform where people meet with likewise interests; one is networking, socializing and the other is cooking and culinary themes. Cooking, sharing a meal, stimulates any conversation, as most of us know.

Therefore ExpatCuisine has a twofold portfolio - To offer facilitated international gourmet cooking courses, and to offer quality expat events with a culinary theme but embedded in a networking character.

Expats Guide: Do you focus on international gourmet, special cuisines, or special themes?

Hilly : Actually we do have all. Next to our steady focus on the German Cuisine, which expats find fun to try out as it represents the local culture , we also have special themes. One example is a Senegalese Dinner - Show cooking for a corporate client. Although closed to the general public, it shows our diversity. For the general public theme-cuisine will show a variety of Mediterranean Food to cooking with chocolate.

We constantly have new themes in the making.

Expats Guide: Please describe a typical ExpatCuisine event, and where do the events take place?

Hilly : As each event is different, let me just give you some examples: A grand cru coffee tasting facilitated by our exclusive guest Nespresso. Sorry, but no promises that George Clooney will turn up at our location in Frankfurt!

We are also scheduling Speed cooking for Singles, where equal representation of the genders is part of the concept. Per new cooked and served dish the seating is rotated allowing our guests to share conversations with all present.

All our international gourmet and ExpatCuisine events take place in Frankfurt and surroundings.

Expats Guide: Do you have a different chef for each event (depending on the type of food), or do you have an in-house chef?

Hilly : We are happy to work with a choice of the best chefs. This way we match theme and event to the perfect cook. But all chefs have this great hospitality touch in common and are experienced event cooks who are able to entertain our guests and share their knowledge.

Expats Guide: Some cuisines require unique ingredients. Can you find all the ingredients in Germany, or do you have to compromise and use local ingredients?

Hilly : Luckily Frankfurt is multi cultural and does have some great ethnic districts which offer a choice of original ingredients.

Expats Guide: I noticed you host a barbeque for newcomers. Is this something you do every year? Is there a special program?

Hilly : Yes, this is planned as an annual event. Most people move during the summer, set up home, get the kids off to school, and then what next? No Social Network! This is even harder for the single expats; working long hours, maybe go to the gym, but for sure will spend many moments alone, especially during the weekend. That is why we host the BBQ with a strong expat networking character.

Expats Guide: What is your typical clientele? International companies, Individual expats, expats groups and associations? And from which countries most expats come?

Hilly : We are open to all. We welcome individual expats, or let me say internationals. We welcome all clubs and associations. We do corporate events, where we facilitate events for all their international new hirers. And on behalf of relocation agencies and other mobility services ExpatCuisine facilitates their customer relationship events. Expat Cuisine has the patronage of a multitude of nationalities - United Nations at its best.

Expats Guide: What are your future goals for ExpatCuisine?

Hilly : We actually do have one very exciting future project on the shelf, that again will benefit both the expats, the global mobility industry and a select choice of partners. I am on thin ice here, I am not allowed to disclose much more at this stage. But let me say: do bookmark us, as "ExpatCuisine has plenty cooking".

Expats Guide: Thank You Hilly. What a great project you have. I am sure many expats living in Frankfurt and its surroundings will be enjoying your events.

Any expats who are living in Frankfurt or planning an overseas relocation to Frankfurt, and are interested to learn more about ExpatCuisine, creative cooking courses and international gourmet, can contact Hilly directly through the ExpatCuisine website.