Voices of the Future: Entrepreneurship - with Vice President Nicolai P. Wiedmer
At the JRE Congress on April 20, Vice President Nicolai P. Wiedmer delivered a candid and forward-looking speech on the realities of modern gastronomy. Addressing fellow chefs and restaurateurs, he spoke about the evolving role of the independent chef as entrepreneur, the importance of team empowerment, and the growing necessity of collaboration to shape a sustainable future.
What followed was not just a reflection, but a practical call to action...
Nicolai P. Wiedmer on the Future of Gastronomy
Let me start with a quick honesty check:
In the last seven days—who here spent more hours cooking… and who spent more hours managing?
Purchasing. Staffing. Rotas. Taxes. Emails. Pricing. Reviews. Social media. A dozen messages about a missing invoice. And somewhere in between: “Oh yes—service.”
I’m not saying this to complain. I’m saying it because there is a truth inside it: We are not “only” chefs. We are entrepreneur-hosts.
And I’ve arrived at a number that feels brutally accurate for many of us: As independent chefs, we might cook 40 percent. And 60 percent is leadership, management, and marketing.
Some days it feels like running a restaurant… while also running a small company, a training department, and a PR agency, at the same time.
Now, this Congress is about the future. About regeneration. About what we plant today.
A seed does not grow because we shout at it: “Grow!” It grows because the environment is right.
In the kitchen we understand that. Not one big idea makes the night successful. It’s the basics, every single day: timing, temperature, rhythm, and a team that works as one.
And that brings me to the two words on my little part today: team empowerment and collaboration.
Team empowerment
This is not a “soft” topic. It is performance. It is consistency. It is culture. And in the end: it is guests.
For me, empowerment is simple and practical: Clarity. Trust. Tools.
Clarity means your team knows what “good” looks like, without you standing at the pass.
Trust means people can decide, own results, and feel proud.
Tools means training, structure, feedback, so quality does not depend on one person’s mood or presence.
If we want a future, we need teams that are stronger than a single shift. Stronger than a single chef. Stronger than a single person.
Marketing
I know, some of us hear the word and instantly feel tired. But marketing is not “being loud.” Marketing is being inviting. It is hospitality, translated into the guest’s world.
If we don’t tell our story, someone else will. And sometimes that story is written by an algorithm on a bad day.
So yes: we have to learn the numbers. We have to understand the message. We have to manage the business, so we can protect the craft.
The future requires collaboration
And now the main point. The one sentence I want to leave with you:
The future requires collaboration.
And collaboration is not just something “nice” we do. It is how we survive and how we grow.
Because collaboration is a core ingredient of what JRE is: JRE is not a logo. It’s not a label. It’s a living network. It’s chefs and restaurateurs who call each other, visit each other, share ideas, share mistakes, share solutions, and push each other forward. We support each other. We exchange. We build each other up. Not because it’s fashionable, because it’s smart. And because it’s human.
And collaboration is bigger than “us”. It’s also partners who bring reach, platforms, and opportunities. It’s suppliers who become allies. It’s local communities who become believers.
A small example: we have started this new collaboration with UNITED WATERWAYS, an operator focused on hospitality on the water. It’s a bridge between culinary craft and a world where experiences travel across Europe’s rivers.
And here at the Congress, you’ll also see how much atmosphere and space matter. There will be a lounge area built by Vitra. Not a big story today, just a reminder: the environment shapes the experience.
A simple challenge
So here is my simple challenge to you, and it’s deliberately small: After this Congress, choose one collaboration. Just one.
One internal collaboration: empower one person in your team to own something fully.
One external collaboration: a guest chef night, a shared supplier project, a staff exchange, a joint training, a joint story told together.
Or one partnership that makes your life easier, and your quality stronger.
Because independent gastronomy has always been about transforming raw ingredients into something bigger than ourselves: moments, memories, meaning.
And we can do the same with collaboration.
Let’s water what we want to grow!
A shared direction for JRE
Wiedmer’s message points to where JRE is heading: strengthening entrepreneurship while building deeper connections across the network and beyond.
As the role of the chef continues to evolve, success is no longer just about individual excellence. It’s about strong teams, clear communication, and the ability to work together.
collaboration isn’t a nice extra. It’s what makes the future possible.
