Has coffee potential for high gastronomy? This question opened an enthusing conversation last weekend in Areal Boehler Duesseldorf, Germany during a successfully attended panel held inside the gourmet gastronomy show Chef Sache.

On this occasion, La Marzocco Germany flew in from Berlin and Stuttgart to sponsor coffee masterclasses and the coffee education area through its Home espresso machines, while also involving the Florentine company’s partner brand, Le Cafe Alain Ducasse.

In fact, Olivier Fellous – Director of the newly launched roastery and coffee shop concept by world renowned culinary star, Alain Ducasse, was invited to deliver an inspiring talk to the demanding foodie audience. The title of the speech Le Café Alain Ducasse: How is coffee taking the most Michelin Starred chef in the world out of his comfort zone? tells the story of how it seemed only fitting that Ducasse’s vision, when opening a café, focused on singular elements, from an emotional bean-to-cup journey to the art of design, flavour and taste.

“Alain Ducasse owns or manages 40+ restaurants from Tokyo to Las Vegas. His Group now has 21 Michelin stars. In 40+ years of career he has seen a lot; he even cooked for the astronauts in the space station. But somehow, coffee challenges a lot of what we experienced and the certainties we had so far… Coffee is a couple: beans & machines. While high gastronomy chefs usually want to control everything, every vegetable that enters their kitchen, coffee requires us to rely on others, the machine manufacturers. It’s a combination of great products and great technology. That’s the reason why we have started building a partnership with La Marzocco.”