The head and founder of "BuchGourmet" is Dieter Eckel, who realised his concept of a cookbook shop in 1987. He began as a "normal" bookseller, but later specialised in culinary literature.

If he didn't spend that much time in the shop, he would get round to cooking at home more often - preferably delights from the Arabian cuisine... He actually wrote a cookbook himself years ago: "Persisch kochen" (published by GU in 1995). He also wrote a culinary shopping guide for Cologne.

Today he is too busy to write books, since he has to
- keep the company going (with three employees, two trainees and a "Molly"),
- watch the cookbook market,
- network worldwide.
He is basically the control centre and the head of the whole thing.

Nicole Seidel, born in 1974 in Neuss, didn't care much about cooking after school. She made an apprenticeship as a foreign language correspondence clerk, than began studies in Anglistics, Romance and Scandinavian languages.
After a while she decided to quit university and started an apprenticeship at BuchGourmet. She has been on the team since 2000.

Besides working in the shop, she is mainly responsible for website administration with regard to contents. Therefore she always knows the most important new releases - a knowledge highly appreciated by her colleagues. She is also the "admonishing voice" for all overdue payers.

In her spare time Nicole is not only taken with cookbooks. Moving into a larger flat has made way for new novelistic acquisitions (however it is getting crammed again...).
She needs three things to relax: tasty (sometimes spicy) food, a glass of wine and a good book.

Evelyn Wortberg was born in 1979. After school she wanted to leave her hometown in Münsterland. She "struggled with" librarianship studies for a few years, before realising that selling books is more fun than renting them... She made her booksellers apprenticeship at BuchGourmet and has been on the team since 2004.

Her main tasks are selling and consulting in the shop as well as on the phone or by e-mail. She has no problems answering stiff questions - owing to her acquired research skills.

She is generally interested in cooking, cooks and everything concerning, and she doesn't flinch from watching TV cookery shows. Home cooking is often neglected, but her passion for baking is a good deal bigger. Which is a delightful side effect for her colleagues who have a sweet tooth - they are always willing to try (and finish off) Evelyn's cakes.

She likes best spending her spare time hiking with husband and dog - needless to say, being a girl scout.

Sebastian Kretzschmar, born in 1981, came to Cologne from Berlin. He started his apprenticeship at BuchGourmet in 2008 and is specialised in "customer close combat". He is also the "marketing man" and takes care of BuchGourmet being up-to-date in "Web 2.0"

Before "BuchGourmet" he began studying German language and History, then Anglistics, as well as Romance studies. He lived in Forlì (Emilia-Romagna) for a year, working in a centre for disabled persons. There he studied Italian language, which is often useful working in the shop.

He also likes the Italian way in the kitchen, but Thai cuisine is to his taste likewise.

Sebastian is a passionate cyclist and therefore "on the road" in good and bad weather - fortunately ways in cologne are not as long as in Berlin... However his travels may be long distance: from his last journey he brought Columbian cookbooks for instance.

Rolf Baltsch, born in 1961, is a fixture at BuchGourmet by now, as he has been part of the team almost as long as Dieter Eckel. Working as an engineer in horticulture post-graduate, he finally came to BuchGourmet. His field of activity is book keeping - as well as dog keeping: he adopted "Molly" from Sardinia in August 2007.

Rolf knows the answer to virtually every question regarding antiquarian books, and he is the master of approx. 2000 culinary postcards that can be found in the shop. Furthermore, he is in charge of the subscribers' administration for the periodicals "Häuptling Eigener Herd" and "Journal Culinaire", being distributed by BuchGourmet.

Needless to say that he likes to spend his rare time off with Molly. Stirring a risotto or cooking other Italian dishes is pure relaxation to him.

Simone Klibingat, born in 1981, is the "pet of the family", as she came to BuchGourmet only in August 2009. She is also a "non-graduate" who has studied Anglistics, History and Celtic studies in Bonn before.

She has always had an affection for cooking and everything concerning. It began with a festival catering in her home town Moers, continued with a job in a cheese specialities shop and ended (for the time being) at BuchGourmet. Simone should actually apply for "Wetten dass...?!", as she can identify 200 cheeses by taste. In Great Britain she can talk to everybody - since she can speak Welsh and Gaelic in addition to English. Furthermore, she started learning Greek.

So she will be able to read her Greek cookbooks in original language, as moussaka and souflaki are on her menu frequently. She is an absolute film fan and therefore goes to the cinema weekly - at home she does yoga and needlework to relax.