Guest chef Christian Jürgens at Restaurant Ikarus

In February 2008 at Restaurant Ikarus: Christian Jürgens

The darling of the critics

"Restaurant Kastell", Hotel Burg Wernberg, Germany

At only 38, Christian Jürgens already counts as one of the ten best chefs in Germany and one of the 50 best in Europe. After some years spent travelling and learning with some of the most eminent chefs in Germany, such as Eckart Witzigmann, Jörg Müller and Heinz Winkler, in 1997 he opened the restaurant “Am Marstall” in Munich, where Christian Jürgens was both head chef and manager. He did not have to wait long for success, and his consistent striving for quality and perfection was rewarded just one year later with his first Michelin star. In parallel, Varta, Gault Millau and Aral also paid deference to him with outstanding ratings. A particular highlight came in 2000, when the “Marstall” was nominated by the Feinschmecker gourmet guide as their first ever “Restaurant of the Year”.

In the spring of 2001, he responded to a call from Eastern Bavaria and took over the culinary responsibility for the lovingly restored Relais & Chateaux Hotel Burg Wernberg close to Schwandorf in the region of Upper Palatinate. In just a short time he made a seamless connection to his successes in Munich, and in November 2002 achieved the high point of his career to date with his second Michelin star. Excellent ratings by all the other guides confirmed this assessment.

This trend continued in 2003. The Feinschmecker awarded him four “Fs”, the Varta restaurant guide two hats and a bell, Gault Millau three chef’s hats and 17 points. The Aral Schlemmeratlas awarded the “Kastell” restaurant 4 wooden spoons and an “upwards arrow” and nominated Christian Jürgens “up and coming chef of the year 2003”. In 2004, the major Bertelsmann restaurant and hotel guide selected the “Kastell” as restaurant of the year.

Christian Jürgens’ recipe for success sound easy: The outstanding feature of his cooking is always the flavour – everything starts with this, and it is the basis of the composition and the arrangement. Hardly anyone else understands as perfectly as Jürgens how to create a whole out of the individual elements. In doing this, he also skilfully enchants the eye – an intentional side effect. But the focus of his cooking is always on flavour.

Christian Jürgens’ art of cooking has its roots in the cuisine of France, Italy and Germany. But he knows just as well how to surprise his guests with harmonious Asiatic elements.

He regularly communicates his joy in cooking to a wide public with columns in various daily newspapers and magazines. Add to this his book “Gesund und lecker” (“Healthy and Delicious”) which appeared in January 2004 and is a guide to healthy but flavoursome food. At the end of 2005, a further book by the star chef came out, entitled “Phantasie & Perfektion” (“Imagination and Perfection”) – there can be no more fitting way to describe the philosophy of Christian Jürgens.