Maurice Maggi (1955–2024): That the seeds grow

Yes, Zurich has become more colorful because of him. But the city not only owes him a few beautiful flower beds, but also ideas that range from the ecological to the socio-political.

In 1984, the trained landscape gardener Maurice Maggi scattered flower seeds for the first time on his walks through the city. Soon mallows appeared in unexpected places, mysterious and delicate. Wild sowing, wild flowers, Maggi was a Swiss pioneer, comparable to Harald Nägeli with his sprayed graffiti. Maggi did this for forty years; after the mallows, he scattered many other wild seeds, from yarrow to meadow sage. There is now the international term “guerrilla gardening” and the somewhat tamed, perhaps gentrified “urban gardening”.

Careful use of the natural environment led him from wildflowers to cooking. It should be sustainable, seasonal, using local resources, “nose to tail”. What can’t you do with flowers and herbs in urban areas? Maggi was a chef in various restaurants, on Stör, also in Brooklyn, but mostly in Zurich. He has written idiosyncratic cookbooks, “Edible City” (2014), “Simple Variety” (2016) and the children’s cookbook “Misch und Masch” (2018). But his concern went beyond that, aimed at a more beautiful environment for a better life, a local ecology in communities and cooperatives, because: “Mobility is the downfall of people.” On the other hand, the aim was to bring rural life into the city, not in a nostalgic way, but in a forward-looking way.

Maggi and his ideas soon made it to the public and even to some prominence. He organized tours, gave lectures and was recognized as an expert. His ideas found fertile ground, both among private individuals and the city of Zurich. The mallows are blooming, wild herbs are growing over private installations and standard municipal boxes. There are still many sealed floors. Zurich still has a lot to learn about green, Maggi was annoyed and always had very specific suggestions, which he stubbornly and sometimes defiantly advocated.

Having suffered from an autoimmune disease for a long time, Maurice Maggi died last week at the age of 69. A final book has been announced for November: “Soup. A declaration of love.” Another legacy for a more meaningful life.

Stefan Howald