Roland Trettl
The constant in a world of change. Executive Chef Roland Trettl.
The job of chef in Salzburg, advertised in 2003, was one of the most coveted and yet most feared in the business. The search was on for an Executive Chef supposed to finally turn the vision and dream of the guest chef concept into a reality. But no-one had ever dared to implement it before. Witzigmann trusted only one person to do it and recommended Roland Trettl.
At this point the native of Upper Bolzano, in the Alto-Adige region of Italy, had been cooking under the patronage of the chef of the century for eight years. Roland Trettl worked for two years each in Tantris in Munich and in the three star restaurant Aubergine. Roland Trettl, 26 at that time, implemented Witzigmann's concept of a small, stylish resort on Mallorca. The Ca’s Puers quickly acquired the reputation of being the best restaurant on the island.
Roland Trettl overcame any doubts with regard to expertise and craftsmanship, but would the lover of unusual fashions also be up to the pressure of adapting his team to a different cooking style, new techniques and a change of menu every month?
We now know that Roland Trettl has made the guest chef concept and thus Restaurant Ikarus known throughout the world. One of Roland Trettl's traits surely played an important role – he rarely does what is expected of him. Instead of playing it safe and bringing famous cooks with bags of experience into the Restaurant Ikarus kitchens, he relied on a highly talented, but young team. Forget the usual Michelin-starred gastronomic clichés too – the team's chef's whites are jet black and they wear baseball caps bearing the Hangar-7 logo instead of toques.
Roland Trettl will soon surprise you if you are expecting a rebellious management style in the kitchen. There's no trace of "off the wall" where work in the Restaurant Ikarus kitchen is concerned. The concentration is practically tangible. Clear instructions are followed by equally precise answers. "Traditions are not important to me. What someone looks like isn't. What counts as far as I'm concerned is quality, in my team and in what leaves our kitchen", says Roland Trettl, and you sense that it's not just a throwaway remark. "Strict. Fair. A team player. And sincere", this is how Chef de Cuisine Martin Klein describes his only superior in Hangar-7's basement kitchen. "And I should know", he laughs. "Roland and I spend more time together than we do with our wives." Team player – that's another surprise, because this is not a quality that one would ascribe to the extrovert South Tyrolean at first glance.
The ability to weld his chefs into a devoted band is the true secret behind the guest chef concept's long-term success. Roland Trettl manages to impress the global celebrities of cookery, such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten or Marc Haeberlin, with his ability when they make their guest appearances at Hangar-7. The self-imposed, unrelenting demand for consistent success at the highest level when the cooking style changes every month is, however, the greatest pressure. Roland Trettl succeeds in using the pressure to motivate his team, day after day, lunchtimes and evenings. "The best job in the world", he says, with a hint of a provocative smile at the corners of his mouth, as he prepares poultry in the midst of his chefs. There's no doubting the sincerity of this statement.
Restaurant Ikarus Team
Opening Hours Restaurant Ikarus
Daily, lunch 12:00 to 02:00 pm,
dinner 07:00 pm to 10:00 pm
In order to better facilitate the Ikarus kitchen's transition from one guest chef to the next, the restaurant will be closed for lunch the first day of every month.
However, evening opening hours on these days will remain the same: the restaurant will open at 07:00 pm.
