Two books that had an immense influence on Rudi Obauer’s life are Ikigai – The Purpose of Life and The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. The award-winning chef is convinced that you can do anything with willpower. Even get a hunting license. Still, he prefers to leave the procurement of game meat to his hunting colleague Christoph Burgstaller, who he got to know when they wrote a book together.
The two co-authors spoke to Juergen Schmuecking, the host of our Halb so wild podcast, about hunting and cooking. And about the meaning of life ...
The chef and the hunter learned a lot from talking to each other, and this resulted in a co-authored book entitled The Hunter and the Chef (“Der Jaga und der Koch” in German). Their points of view are sometimes incredibly different, but they have one thing in common: they are true outdoorsmen, and they love what they do. You can sense their passion as soon as you talk to them, especially if you go for a walk with them around their home town of Salzburg, as Juergen Schmuecking did for the second episode of the Halb so wild podcast (in German only). In this region, both the hunter and the chef can name every peak, every valley, and every mountain range.
“Hunting is never cool,” counters top chef Rudi Obauer. “It can be interesting, educational, it can help me in life. But it's not cool.” For him, the decision to become a chef was initially a rather pragmatic one. His grandfather was a baker, butcher, innkeeper, and, at some point, a farmer. So, an apprenticeship as a chef was not far off. “From my second year of training onward, I realized that this job gave me a purpose,” recalls Rudi Obauer. “I can see the world, get to know lots of people, and always learn something new.” Working as a chef in Zuers and skiing every day? For him, that was a dream come true. Until he got married and renovated an old farmhouse with his wife, to which he then invited co-author Christoph Burgstaller and podcast host Juergen Schmuecking for the interview. He could even live self-sufficiently in this house if he wanted to. “We have our own water, solar energy, and wood. And meat, too,” says the chef.
Integration in the kitchen and the forest
Rudi Obauer still appreciates company and chose to maintain the hiking trail that crosses right through his property. He enjoys talking to people and believes: “The kitchen is proof that integration exists.” For him, there is nothing better than local cuisine, no matter where he is. “When I come here, there is game. What could be more regional?” says the renowned chef, who knows exactly how much work goes into a hunted animal before it ends up on a guest's plate. It is precisely this regionality that has been important to him as a chef for more than 40 years.
“Nature doesn't create anything that is intended to be thrown away,” says the chef, and his attitude has inspired the hunter to not only use certain pieces of meat, but also to have the skin of deer shot in summer tanned naturally so something can be made out of the leather: trousers, a cover for an armchair, or a handbag.
On our podcast, the nature enthusiasts also talk about the ideal hunting season for game, the importance of shooting plans, cutting and storing game meat, hunting in Romanian forests, and Rudi Obauer’s cookbook, in which not only the hunter, but also 15 regional food producers have the chance to share their views. And Rudi, Christoph, and Juergen also celebrate game at the end. Listen to the German podcast to find out more!
Host Season 1
Jürgen Schmücking
Jürgen Schmücking is an Austrian journalist and photographerwith a special focus on food and its production. He pays particular attention to wine, distillates, beer, cheese, fish and meat. Jürgen is interested in where and how these foods are produced, how they taste, and the ways in which they reach the consumers' palates. And, of course, he is eager to hear the stories of those who harvest or produce them.
Fascinated by game meat and thanks to the many inspiring conversations with hunters and chefs, Jürgen decided to start his young hunter's training in 2022.
