“We believe that a dish should be judged not only by its flavour and appearance, but also by its deeper value.”
– Silio Del Fabro, Chef de Cuisine
Where food comes from, who produces it and when it is harvested give a dish a value that goes far beyond culinary pleasure. That is why, for Chef de Cuisine Silio Del Fabro and his team, Haute Cuisine begins with the careful selection of produce. Through personal exchange with trusted producers from the region, the kitchen team learns under which conditions their produce is grown, when the ideal moment for harvesting has come, and how ripeness and weather shape aroma and texture. This closeness forms the basis of a cuisine that allows our guests to experience appreciation, responsibility and a deep connection to the region – combined with unforgettable moments of the highest calibre.
Silio Del Fabro’s Haute Cuisine thrives on carefully selected seasonal produce. Whenever the harvest allows, ESPLANADE sources fruit and vegetables from the Bioland-certified Hof am Weiher in nearby Albessen, Rhineland-Palatinate. When the farm ran into financial difficulties in 2023 and publicly appealed for support, ESPLANADE decided to take responsibility. To preserve the time-honoured cultural heritage of family-run farms and the diversity of regionally produced food for the long term, it became an individual shareholder in Hof am Weiher AG.
Since 1987, Hof am Weiher has stood for a seasonal variety of food and a return to the knowledge of traditional agriculture. The farm practises crop rotation, follows circular farming principles and is a member of the regional Öko-Marktgemeinschaft Saar-Pfalz-Hunsrück. Within this association, farms certified by Bioland and Demeter work together and market their produce jointly. Silio Del Fabro and his kitchen team visit Hof am Weiher regularly and draw inspiration for their latest creations from its seasonal produce.
Farming right on the city’s doorstep: in Saarbrücken’s Almet, the Stadtbauernhof (urban farm) cultivates fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in rhythm with the seasons. Time and again, freshly harvested produce finds its way from there into the gourmet kitchen of ESPLANADE, which, as a founding member, has held its own harvest shares in the Stadtbauernhof Saarbrücken since 2015. This close contact allows Silio Del Fabro to bring even highly specific requests to the farmers.
For our head chef Silio Del Fabro and his team, indulgence also means taking responsibility. European eel stocks are in a critical state. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommends refraining from catching the species. The situation is serious – and our head chef’s decision is equally clear: there is no place for eel on the ESPLANADE menu.
“There are many delicious alternatives that are in no way inferior to eel. As a passionate angler, I take this issue very much to heart.”