The Essen brand launched a new kitchen robot, and communicated it with a video that, far from being technical or commercial, chooses to tell a story.

At the center, a word: Essen. Which in German means “eat,” yes, but it also means “home”. It's the voice of a mother calling from the countryside, the memory of a shared table, the place where important things happen even if very few notice. 

It made me think about what cooking really means. How, even in a rushed world, the kitchen remains a place of gathering, pause, and presence. 

In my family, the kitchen was also the center. Not because of its size, nor because of its pots and pans, but because of what happened: mom’s instructions, Mendocino olive oil, chats with my sister, dad's favorite dishes, carrots from the garden... those small gestures that spoke as if whispering. In my house, cooking was always a way of saying “I saw you,” “I thought of you,” “this is for you.”

That's why that Essen video resonated with me. Because it names something essential: the act of giving. It’s not just about preparing a dish, but about offering a moment. Perhaps that's why it's said that cooking has something ceremonial. Even if they choose to help us with new devices, the value isn't just in the time we save, but in what we do with that time.

Because life happens in the kitchen, and in every shared meal, there's a way of saying “we are together here and now, what more can we ask for?”