LUCIA FISCHER

Passionate about locally-sourced ingredients and delicious food, Lucy, a former PR maven, has become our new cafe partner and is launching her full healthy Deli concept this August. Read on to find what’s behind the venture, what inspires her and what to expect from the new cafe.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

I’m Lucy, 35 years old and living in Berlin with my husband and our wonderful 15 month old son. Even though I have spent most of my career in Public Relations and marketing, food and nutrition have always played an important role in my life - I started cooking and trying out recipes when I was still a young teenager and have always enjoyed getting creative in the kitchen. In fact it has always been difficult for me to stick to recipes as I love to experiment with flavors and different products to try out new combinations. (That’s also one of the reasons I never really got into baking up until a few years ago. You know it’s really impossible to bake when you don’t do exactly what the recipe says...) And of course, if you like to cook and create, if you like to network and be out there and connect with people - I’ve always had this idea of having my own deli in the back of my head.

Ever since I became a mother, how I deal with food has taken on an additional dimension - since it’s me and my husband who show our son how to develop sound eating habits and make the right choices, the nutritional and health-related aspects of food have become even more important to me. With all the fast food and artificial “creations” that are out there today, it is really important for me to make sure that what I give to him is not only fresh and of good quality, but also as unprocessed as possible. I want him to learn to appreciate real food and develop a taste for real and authentic products - that’s also why I have been making his food from scratch ever since he has started to eat on his own. (You wouldn’t believe that there’s actually ways to make yummy baby food - even if you’re not allowed to use salt! )

So in a nutshell - cooking and creating, networking and connecting, choosing fresh and unprocessed products and providing healthy, nutritious and delicious choices is what I stand for and what’s at the heart of Lucy’s healthy deli concept. Together with BECYCLE we offer a wonderful holistic concept that deeply cares for the state of your body, mind & soul.

Why a vegetarian deli?

Here I’ll need to elaborate a little because this question is at the heart of what Lucy’s stands for:

I am neither strictly 100% vegan, vegetarian nor a full-blown meat-eater myself, but when I created the concept for Lucy’s I based it on my strong believe that food is something that should taste good so that it nourishes the soul, healthy so that it nourishes the body but also sustainably sourced so the impact on the environment is kept as low as possible. So not only your soul and your body, but also your mind get satisfied and happy one mouthful at a time.

We consciously decided against offering meat because I believe that a) we do not need it in order to live a healthy and well-balanced diet and b) reducing our meat consumption as much as possible is one of the best ways to help our planet to recover. On the other hand, we chose not to be a fully vegan deli because it is a type of diet that will always require you to supplement with certain nutrients in order to get everything you need. And our philosophy at Lucy’s is that we want to keep it real and simple, no additives, no refined sugar, no artificial flavours - but also no need for supplements! This is why we offer purely vegan as well as vegetarian dishes because for me the composition of flavours and textures in a dish is what decides which ingredients make it onto the plate or in a bowl, not the fact whether they’re vegan or vegetarian.

Where I feel that a little goat cheese or some eggs will give the perfect finish, we use them, but we ensure that all animal-based products originate from specifically selected farms and producers following the highest ethical and ecological standards so all you will need to do is enjoy what we create for you!

How would you describe your main nutritional principles when creating recipes?

Food should make you happy! Really, for me it’s always flavour first. You can add as many healthy ingredients as you want - if it doesn’t taste good you’re never going to like it and if there’s one thing that I always want from food it is that it makes me happy and satisfied. A big - if not the biggest - nutritional principle really is quality. Choose fresh, choose regional where you can, choose organic and don’t overcook or over fry, don’t destroy your ingredients - this will ensure they are still full of the highest amount of nutrients possible.

Favourite ingredients? That’s quite hard to say because variety is what I love most - fresh vegetables and fruit in all colours that nature has to offer, in season and locally grown, fresh herbs, toasted nuts or seeds and crispy sprouts - you name it!

But if I had to pick something that always makes a great combination - homemade almond butter and pistachio butter are two of my absolute favourites when it comes to creating creamy, delicious and healthy dressings for any kind of bowl or salad - and I love using some roasted pumpkin seed protein for my smoothies and oats to give them that extra bit of nutty flavor and power!

What are some of your inspirations in the gastronomic realm, who do you look up to?

Yotam Ottolenghi and Anna Jones for their creativity when it comes to combining textures and flavors and their appreciation of good produce - and Ella Mills for her vision and pioneering spirit (alt: drive) to show that healthy and delicious definitely do go together!

As a busy business owner and mother, how do you look after yourself, what does self-care mean to you?

Honestly, at the moment it’s a little hard to make time for myself, but whenever I can free up some time I love a good yoga class, listen to a thrilling true crime podcast or look for new recipe inspirations.

Which one of your smoothies would you recommend after a workout?

Definitely the Purple Avo: 100% natural organic hemp cocoa protein plus avocado for healthy fats and protein, banana for your magnesium intake and blueberries for your dose of antioxidants - the perfect after workout smoothie!

What can we expect from Lucy’s in the next couple of months?

A lot! Lucy’s will offer a full deli concept with breakfast and a choice of your own lunch options, inspiring, (seasonally changing) food creations with a focus on natural, locally grown and seasonal veggies and fruit, and always that little extra boost of flavour and nutrients that will excite your taste buds and make you feel great and energized!

Interview by Katia Varfolomeeva - BECYCLE Marketing & Content Manager and Integrative Nutrition Coach.

Catching Up with Lucia of Lucy's Deli (Our New Cafe Partner)