My grandmother was a wonderful cook. It wasn’t so easy to put one over on her when it came to cooking. And even if I wasn’t really aware of this as a child, I am sure that she was the person who influenced me in my formative years.I did my training and apprenticeship in hotels with excellent cuisine and great chefs: at the Hotel Bareiss, at the Victorian in Düsseldorf, with Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris, at the Rheinhotel Fischerzunft with André Jaeger and at the Le Val d´Or with Johann Lafer – to mention just a few. The mosaic stones of all these experiences put their stamp on me: all these chefs shared a high degree of professionalism, perfect mastery of their art and the uniqueness of their own style.In 1992 I became executive chef at my old training venue, the Hotel Bareiss. As someone who had gone through the “Bareiss mill”, it was a great challenge for me to take over the then 2-star gourmet restaurant at the hotel. The best and most wonderful day of my time here was – and I can remember the exact minute – noon on 13 November 2007, a Tuesday. That was when we received the news that the restaurant had been awarded its third Michelin star.
From our own land, here in Mitteltal. The roe deer are selected personally by Hannes Bareiss [the hotel owner], who is an experienced hunter. We always have it on the menu from May to January, which is the hunting season in Germany.
We always pair it with a seasonal ingredient: mushrooms of all kinds, berries or wild local herbs. We offer a three-part venison dish, with roasted saddle, braised shoulder and poached haunch.
