Smoke, Sea, and a Perfect Bite: The Weekend I Judged Fire, Food, and Feeling.

I remember when the message came in, it was one of those small moments that suddenly becomes something big. Theo called me — we know each other since 2004, and from the first day, it just clicked. You know, some people you meet and you need time. With him, no. Immediately, we were on the same line. He has this big barbecue store, not only tools, real barbecue culture, and from time to time I buy things there — maybe more than I should.

So he calls me and says, “Ralf, we have this hunting and grill event in Neumünster… and you, you enjoy your food… you should come as a juror.”

And I didn’t think. Not one second. I said yes.

Later I realized I had a small problem. A friend of mine had just bought a house, I helped him with tools, and since February we had planned to go out for dinner together. And I had to call him and say, “Listen… this is something I maybe get once in my life. The restaurant, we can do anytime.”

He was… let’s say, not completely happy. But this was one of those chances. You take it.

So Saturday morning, we start the drive north. And already there, the weekend begins. The landscape changes slowly, becomes wider, flatter, calmer. Near Hamburg, we take the ferry — I love this. For me, it’s not just transport, it’s a ritual.

We drive on, park, and then… time slows down. Twenty-five minutes crossing. Water everywhere, quiet, just the engine humming. And of course, we have our habits. I bring my wife a piece of marble cake. Always. And I take a sausage. You can eat sausage anywhere, yes — but on this ferry, it tastes different. It belongs there. Like wine in Croatia — you take it home, and suddenly it’s just wine. But there, in that moment, it’s perfect.

And then the area… this is something special. Near the Elbe, not far from Hamburg, you have the biggest connected orchard area in Germany. Apples, cherries, pears — and now everything was in blossom. You drive, and left and right it looks like the trees are made of flowers. White, soft, almost unreal. You don’t rush there. You just look.

Arriving in Neumünster, you already feel: this is not a small village event. It’s big. Trade fair size. Hunting, fishing, barbecue, dogs… big halls, huge tents like Oktoberfest style. People everywhere. The smell of grilled meat already in the air.

And then I step into my role — juror.

Eight teams. All amateurs on Saturday, but you could not see that in the food later. Each team gets the same three main ingredients: salmon, prawns, and zander. And from that — they create whatever they want. That’s the beauty. Same base, completely different ideas.

We were five jurors. We sit there, and every ten minutes, a new dish comes. Hot, fresh, five identical portions. You have ten minutes: look, smell, taste, think, score. Then next one. No delay. No discussion. Just you and your feeling.

They told us at the beginning: if the first bite hits you like a hammer — give it ten. Don’t wait for something better. Trust your instinct.

I liked that.

So the first plates come… and I tell you, this is not “barbecue” like sausage and steak. This is high cuisine. Presentation like in a restaurant. Colors, textures, little details.

You judge by several things: how it looks, the smell, the effort, and then of course — the taste. And sometimes, you open a box and you already know: okay, this is serious.

And sometimes… not.

There were two teams where I honestly thought, what are they doing here? One fish without salt, no seasoning — nothing. Another one looked like something from a can. That is difficult, because you must be honest.

But then… the others. Five of them were really fantastic.

I remember the prawns — some wrapped in bacon and grilled, some smoked, some just perfectly roasted. Every team a different idea. The salmon — unbelievable variety. Smoked salmon, flame-grilled salmon, even pulled salmon. One team wrapped salmon in dough, like a roulade. Others worked with teriyaki glaze, or with smoke flavors.

And then the creativity… one team made a blue potato puree. Real blue. Like the ocean. And on top, they placed the elements like a little landscape. And they added foamed milk — like waves. You sit there and think, this is barbecue? This is art.

Another team made something inspired by a Hamburg dish — fried potatoes with mustard sauce, combined with the fish. Very strong idea, but maybe too much in one small box.

For me, the highlight was the team with the apprentice. Third year. Not even a full professional yet. But what they did… unbelievable.

They built something like a fish version of Beef Wellington. Salmon, spinach, wrapped in puff pastry. With a saffron-style sauce. And the prawns — they paired them with wasabi butter, two together, perfectly balanced. For me, this was number one. Clear.

But the jury decided differently.

The winning team was also fantastic, no question. They built a whole composition: mushroom filled with cream cheese and herbs, prawn on top, blue potato waves, flame-grilled salmon with teriyaki on a nest of peppers, and the zander crispy on the skin with a sauce and a bit of caviar. Very elegant, very complete.

For me, second place. But still — top level.

And the funny thing: I was never full. Not once. Always curious. What comes next? What idea now? It was like a surprise menu where you cannot wait for the next plate.

My wife, she was there all the time. Sometimes filming me, sometimes walking around the fair. She didn’t eat the jury food, but she knows — when I see something interesting, I take it home. She gets the result later in our kitchen. That’s our system.

She also spent time looking at things we both like — especially dogs. We talk a lot about maybe getting one when I stop working. Maybe even two. Dogs with character, with their own head. Like us.

After the judging, we walked around a bit more. And then we found something unexpected — a camper van. And both of us looked at it and said, this is it. Not now, but maybe next year. That was one of those quiet, happy moments. No big discussion. Just agreement.

In the evening, we went to the hotel. They had a steak buffet for 55 euros. Normally, I would say yes immediately. But I told my wife, “I can’t. It’s impossible.” I was completely done. So we just had a drink and went to bed.

And then the next morning… the breakfast.

The hotel itself is something special. An old foundry turned into a hotel. Steel, concrete, no wallpaper, everything raw but designed. The rooms have these massive steel structures, like industrial beams. Even the TV is built into it, you can turn it from bed to desk. Graffiti art everywhere — real artists, not decoration. In the toilet, I saw a painting of a cow sitting in a bathtub. You don’t forget that.

And the breakfast… typical northern Germany, but with style. Big, rich, everything fresh. After a day like that, sitting there with coffee, taking your time — it felt like the perfect ending.

Driving home, we both knew: this was a very good weekend.

For me, the food, the creativity, the whole experience as a juror — something I will not forget. And for both of us, these small moments around it — the ferry, the camper van, the hotel, the breakfast.

Sometimes, it’s not only one thing. It’s how everything fits together.

And this weekend… it just worked.