I completed all my training in my parents’ hotel which served up to 1500 meals a day. But, as the saying goes, ‘he who can do more can do less’. I then set about learning how to offer a more sophisticated cuisine along the lines of the menus offered in the hotel owned by my brother-in-law, Meinrad Schmiederer, who became my teacher, at Hotel Dollenberg in the Black Forest. Initially it was a modest hotel, with a staff of 20 and with 50 beds. As it grew, we have been able to change its style, and offer a rustic, regional cuisine in the Kaminstube and the Bauernstube, while creating a more sophisticated gourmet cuisine in Le Pavillon. Of course, our reward has been to become part of Relais & Châteaux, then to win the first, and finally the second star in the Michelin guide. This has allowed us to host some of the most powerful men and women in the world, on the occasion of the NATO summit, between Strasbourg and Baden-Baden. My brother-in-law and the whole family now run a luxury hotel with 200 beds and a staff of 140, built up over a single generation. The cuisine that we offer at Le Pavillon is both French and from Baden-Baden and is based on top-quality ingredients. It is our leading light.
The meat can be just browned or slowly simmered, with a sauce to round out the dish. We serve it with fresh chanterelle mushrooms in the summer, with tuberous-rooted chervil in the fall and Jerusalem artichokes or Brussels sprouts in the winter.
Our game is from the Black Forest and Bavaria. The animals must be killed properly and be of sufficient size. In addition, the meat must have a uniform color, not too light or too dark, and not be aged too long.
It’s a terroir product, and therefore an indispensable part of our cuisine. It has a nice, subtle flavor and the meat is very easy to digest.
