Skater, hip-hopper, and Sommelier of the Year — Toni Askitis doesn’t do stuffy. With “Pommes & Wein” he’s shaking up Düsseldorf and proving that great taste doesn’t require a dress code.
Grauburgunder? Boring. Primitivo? Pass. Wine as a status symbol? Absolutely not. In the opening episode of How to Gastro, I sat down with Marc Mangold to talk to one of Germany’s most unconventional restaurateurs about what it really takes to build something worth talking about.
Toni Askitis built a community, not just a restaurant. Instagram is his engine, his menu breaks every rule in the sommelier handbook, and he’s already eyeing Cologne and Munich for his next move. Oh — and a 1989 Riesling pairs beautifully with fries. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.
What struck me most: great hospitality doesn’t need pretension. It needs attitude, ideas, and hosts who genuinely give a damn.
We also got into alcohol-free wine (verdict: not there yet), digitization without the buzzword bingo, and why courage matters more than capital when you’re starting out in gastro.
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts — How to Gastro, presented by Business Punk and DISH by METRO.
Photo: © Business Punk