Eckart Witzigmann

Born in Bad Gastein, Austria, in 1941, Witzigmann’s success spans the breadth of the industry; a restaurateur, culinary expert and cookery book author, he also launched a renowned training school and has cooked for, amongst others, Queen Elizabeth II in his Palazzo in 2002.

He began his career with an apprenticeship in Austria at the Hotel Straubinger in Bad Gastein, before spending a total of 13 years perfecting his skills across Europe including a period studying under Paul Bocuse in France. (Bocuse was the World’s 50 Best’s first ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award winner in 2005.)

He worked at Tantris in Munich from 1971 before opening his first restaurant Aubergine, also in Munich, in 1978. At Aubergine he achieved instantaneous success. In 1979 he became the first German-speaking chef to win three Michelin stars. Aubergine held three stars until the restaurant closed in 1993.

In 1989, the Gault Millau guide awarded him the title chef of the century. Only three other chefs have been honoured in this way: Paul Bocuse, Joel Robuchon and Frédy Girardet.

Following Aubergine, Witzigmann proved himself an early pioneer of the now popular ‘restaurant plus cookery school’. Within two years his establishment in Mallorca, Spain, had established itself as one of the best culinary venues on the island.