VEGAN CHEF
Benedikt Faust – free spirit, futurist & freak
Passionate TV chef and brand ambassador for Vantastic
Perhaps you know Benedikt Faust as the TV chef from Galileo on Pro7? The professional chef is very active and already known to a wider audience for his creative culinary approaches. Less well known is his commitment to vegan cuisine. As an ambassador for the plant-based brand Vantastic, he surprises us in Veganuary with delicious new creations that invite you to try them. We present three new recipes every week – don’t miss them! …
Who is this Mr. Faust?
This VEGAN CHEF is really great company. The best way to get to know Benedikt Faust is when you have a drink in your hand and plenty of time to spare. It’s very easy to talk to him for hours, and his passion for what he does and for new things really comes across – just as it does in his vegan recipes and interpretations of dishes: which you’ll be able to find here at Velivery. But who is this Mr Faust, I hear you ask?
Originally from the German region of Franconia, this genuinely nice guy has become a familiar face in the German media. Having once started out as Germany’s youngest Michelin-starred chef, he has long since become a brand in his own right. This open-minded, cheerful guy can be seen on TV and other formats, reinterpreting how we enjoy food, and addressing prejudices. He sees vegan food as a logical next step in humans’ diets, and it’s with the enjoyment and experience of vegan food, as well as with logical arguments, that Ben wants to reach people – with no dogma or force involved. Just like how he is, really.
How he built up his brand
Ben’s father, an inland waterway navigator, often took him with him on his voyages when Ben was a boy, which meant that from a young age, he was able to get to know many regions and towns from a very different perspective to that which most people have. This may also be where he gets his different perspective on things – it’s something that certainly is typical of him.
Born in the small town of Marktheidenfeld in the Lower Franconia region of Germany, he started his chef’s training at the age of 15 at the Weinhaus Anker restaurant. It was the start of a long journey – and not just in terms of all things culinary. In the next years, he worked in several different restaurants in order to perfect his expertise. At 24, he became chef de cuisine at the Burg Schwarzenstein im Rheingau restaurant, and at 26 he was awarded his first Michelin star at the Romantik Hotel zum Stern in Bad Hersfeld. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany’s national newspapers, celebrated him as “discovery of the year” in 2010. He was awarded more Michelin stars during his time at Hotel Hanseatic on the island of Rügen, and at the legendary Kuno 1408 restaurant at Hotel Rebstock in Würzburg. He received acclaim in particular for his new interpretations and deconstructed versions of traditional dishes, for example from Franconian cuisine.
And since 2018, Benedikt Faust has made appearances as a TV chef and in his own formats. He is a brand ambassador for many companies, and in 2021, he founded his own advertising and marketing agency, ModifyID.
Ben is not just a Michelin-starred chef. He’s an expert, a gateway to the hospitality industry, a journalist, and an influencer. There’s a lot more to this guy than meets the eye. He says of himself that there’s more than one personality in his head. The futurist in him identifies opportunities, the free spirit finds solutions that don’t need to conform to convention, and then there’s the geek in him too. And he puts all of his passion, culinary skills and conviction into everything he does. Taken together, they make up the brand that is Benedikt Faust.
Ben the Free Spirit
Ben is someone who forms his own opinions about the world around him, and who likes to share his views. He often comes up with unusual solutions, approaches and suggestions which are unprejudiced and which aren’t influenced by traditional, mainstream views. He tries out new things, and likes to ignore existing norms and habits, which sometimes leads to people shaking their heads, and very often results in a great deal of laughter. Sometimes he astounds his cookoff rivals on cookery programs by revealing that he managed to incorporate good-quality ready-made products into what he made – and all of it with a cheeky smile.
Ben the Futurist
The here and now, as well as that which is to come, are what makes the futurist in Ben. He draws attention to opportunities that arise as the times change. Animal welfare and how we deal with nature are both very close to his heart. That’s why he promotes vegan diets – and as with everything he does, he does it with passion. One of his well-known appearances on German TV involved him making a vegan version of scrambled eggs with bacon for testers who had no idea it was vegan. He correctly predicted that 8 out of 10 of the testers wouldn’t notice that the dish was vegan. And sure enough, he won the bet. It’s approaches like these, and the fact that he’s part of a new culinary norm, that mean he’s the perfect fit for Velivery. By the way, the secret to his vegan bacon is a double layer of rice paper marinated in smoky flavoring and umami sauce – but you can see it here for yourselves.
Ben the freak
Cooking and hospitality are his true passions. Ben devotes all of his time to whatever he’s working on. He’s constantly reinventing himself and his dishes, and he’s driven by wanting to make a positive impact. He puts his all into standing up for what he thinks is important. That applies just as much to brands and products as it does to spreading the principles of veganism. His mission is to achieve perfection and make things possible, and that means you need to be obsessed, to a certain degree, and, coupled with rock-solid intentions, means you’ll be able to create something incredible. And his geekiness in this regard is definitely something to aspire to!
Ben at Velivery
We are really looking forward to the influences and ideas that this amazing guy brings with him, as well as to his lovable craziness – now and in the future. Together, we want to continue bringing veganism forward, and developing healthy vegan food for everyone. Our recipes are bound to have a few surprises in store, and you shouldn’t have to miss out on any of your favorite foods, of course. Ben will show you how to use important ingredients such as Kala Namak for perfect vegan “egg” dishes, or how to use smoky flavoring to achieve veganized meaty flavor. And we’re sure he’ll have a few surprises up his sleeve, too! We’ll just have to wait and see. One thing’s for sure: as long as Ben’s around, things won’t be boring!
