Dogma

To live is to dwell. Even the troubled soul with an urge to go would rather stay and dwell. Out of an innate interest in providing a joyful dwelling, our labor is one of affection and devotion, structured to nurture the spirit, please the body and elevate the mind by implementing a number of demands and focus points as the company’s dogma.

Hospitality is a fortress for the protection of the Guest

A hospital focuses on illness, hospitality focuses on health.

Each Guest is a King.

There is no greater King than the one who serves with grace; no greater serving than that of a King.

Being hospitable is a nurturing act with the utmost quality.

Serving deters from every action for oneself. To serve is to solely devote attention to the Guest.

Hospitality discards of time.

The hospitable seres beauty and elegance.

A serving host is polite.

A serving host is generous and friendly.

The serving host is courteous, professional, and speaks clearly.

The Guest never lacks a drink.

Joy elevates the Spirit and precedes fun.

Guest and Coffee Water Pots at Café de L’Ambre, Tokyo, Japan / November 2014 / Photo: Sila Blume – Leica D-Lux 4

One single scenario sparked decades of tastings, experiments, thoughts and spiritual development, leading to the realization of the Aristipposian Poet concept. In it, I envisioned the joy obtained by a man who spends the day preparing his house for his guests and subsequently rejoices in the joy of his guests that come in confidence to find the finest offerings for their physical, mental and emotional hunger.

Carlo Petrini (*1949), founder of the Slow Food movement, criticizes the common labeling of humans as consumers. To consume is to destroy, to reduce, to waste or burn away. Consumption is the process of decrement. Whenever we eat or offer food to others, our eco-gastronomical approach should be to nourish, nurture, enhance, build and promote growth. In its many extended repercussions, gastronomical reception is to increase the quality of life, beyond its biological context. This is the premise under which the Aristippösian Poet creates and serves.

Aristippus of Cyrene (c. 435 – c. 356 BCE) was a pupil of Socrates and philosophized in the conviction that pleasure greatly contributes to the elevation of the spirit. His holistic approach has helped in shaping my views on food, drink and hospitality.

The Aristipposian Poet is the result of six decades eating well, three decades making coffee with a demanding attitude, and many years being a recipient of the Mexican, Ethiopian, Japanese and Viennese coffee and hospitality cultures. It should be perceived as living proof that, especially in our modern society, hospitality will court Ladies and Gentlemen alike into opting to dwell, over the commonly offered choices of fast-food and coffee-to-go.