Who is Germany's three Michelin starred chef Helmut Thieltges? A guide to Germany's three starred chefs: Helmut Thieltges

Helmut Thieltges is head chef at the Waldhotel (English: forest hotel) Sonnora in Dreis in the Eifel region in the west of Germany.

He has gained and held the restaurant’s three Michelin stars since 1999, was Gault & Millau’s Chef of the Year in 1997 and is one of the most famous and appreciated chefs in Germany.

Which restaurant did Helmut Thieltges first cook in?

Helmut was born in 1955 in the village of Dreis, where his parents Vinzenz and Anna Maria operated a guest house hotel. Later they built the Waldhotel and hoped for their son to become head chef in the hotel’s restaurant.

After Helmut finished his apprenticeship at the Römischer Kaiser in the city of Trier, he worked in several restaurants: The Schlosshotel Pontresina in St. Moritz, the Breidenbacher Hof in Düsseldorf and the Restaurant Bastei in Cologne. In 1978 he joined his parents’ restaurant in the Waldhotel Sonnora as head chef. The restaurant started off with only three chefs in the kitchen: Helmut, his mother and one apprentice.

Waldhotel Sonnora

Four years after opening it was honoured with its first Michelin star in 1982 and the Thieltges’ started to employ more people. In 1990 the second star followed and the third in 1999. By then Helmut had a team of nine chefs in the kitchen and his wife Ulrike had taken over the service operations. Helmut was awarded Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau in 1997.

Helmut's cuisine

The cuisine he conjures up on the plate is classic French. “Classic cuisine sometimes is confused

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with old-fashioned, but old-fashioned has nothing to do with what we do here. Classic cuisine is the true art,” he says. For Helmut “the product is the star.” He only uses the “finest and most noble products that exist on the world market”, which he converts into fine dishes. A chef’s personal signature has to be apparent, he claims. “The components of my dishes fit together in a harmonious way.”

One of his famous dishes is breast of Challans duck à la presse with oriental spiced skin, pan-fried duck foie gras, red cabbage and glazed pears. “A high end restaurant has to be Cockaigne”, Helmut claims. “Independent creations bring success. To interpret the ‘grand cuisine’ in a modern and very personal way is possible with gentle cooking methods and innovative techniques. To copy successful styles or to follow fancy cooking trends makes no sense.” He describes the job of a chef as handcraft, not art.

Why is it essential to learn the right techniques?

The handcraft “goes along with studiousness, talent and energy. Chefs who don’t have the right feeling for the job will stay mediocre.” For Helmut, it is essential to learn the right techniques, being open to change and to know what’s going on in the world of cooking. The Waldhotel restaurant can hold 40 people and has a relaxed and familiar atmosphere. Helmut himself is reserved; he has never written a cookbook or taken part in a cooking show on TV. He likes to concentrate on his work in the kitchen and the food he cooks: “From the beginning I wanted to offer the best in everything to my guests. “

By Vera Kleinken

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