"It's time for a creative break," after which he intends to come back strong. But right after receiving the 2 Michelin stars, Chef Roland Pieber withdraws. The full story.
The news
Modesty and hard work always shine brightly in the constellation of stars, even in the culinary world. At this year's Michelin award ceremony in Hamburg, Roland Pieber achieved what he still describes as an "unexpected" feat: two stars for SEO Küchenhandwerk, the small restaurant at the Seevital Hotel in Langenargen with only four tables. However, right after the award, the place... closed! Let's rewind the tape to understand what happened. Just before turning 30, the young Austrian talent had already gained significant recognition, winning over the judges of the prestigious Junge Wilden competition in 2018 with his delightful creations and taking home first prize.
Afterward, Pieber moved from Schlossküche Balthasar in Walpersdorf (awarded two toques) to the Seevital Hotel on Lake Constance. In a short time, he became the head chef of the hotel's restaurant, SEO Küchenhandwerk, and from then on, he focused on exclusivity and individuality on a smaller scale. In 2020, he and his partner (and sous chef) Kathrin Stöcklöcker were awarded their first Michelin star for their hard work (they practically ran everything themselves, with some help from a sommelier). Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, there was no live award ceremony. Since 2020, the chef has always defended his star with pride, but he was especially surprised a short while ago when the Michelin Guide personally invited him to this year's ceremony, as mentioned earlier.
"I wondered: what's happening now?" he recalls. "When we were called among the new two-star restaurants, none of us could believe it. We always try to give our best and perfect our work. Of course, we dreamed of a second star. But in Germany, the competition is so fierce that we really didn't expect it." Pieber and Stöcklöcker worked together alone on-site, which often led to very intense days. "The last year was really very stressful," he admitted to Rolling Pin some time ago. "But hard work pays off." At the restaurant on Lake Constance, Pieber offered international cuisine with a touch of German and Austrian tradition. Visitors could expect a surprise 8-course menu, with their dishes served personally by the chef. "I interact with guests at every course to get direct feedback." Whether the workload contributed to the closure is unknown.
However, now the chef and his partner Kathrin Stöcklöcker have left everything behind. Not only that: besides the kitchen staff, the hotel director Michael Ritter also resigned, several media outlets report. And the restaurant has vanished from the web's radar. The hotel's management responded with a rather generic press release, mentioning, among other things, internal disagreements. It then stated: "After a necessary creative break, the two will continue to pursue their passion for high-level gastronomy in the future." To date, with the restaurant's Instagram page inactive and the sudden sinking of the project after the second star's arrival, the situation remains nothing short of mysterious.
