"Everything was okay? Tasted it?" tobias batz does not miss the opportunity to ask his guests in person at a late hour and after seven courses created from scratch. Shortly before midnight, he wants to know if he has actually cooked well. And that’s what the 37-year-old gourmet chef, who was born in kronach and grew up in the neustadt district of furth am berg, did. The evening was a pleasure.
Its small, breaded knuckles in particular are a hit – as guests from near and far agree. The star chef naturally grins all over his face and reveals: "they were already a big hit last summer." but not in the "restaurant alexander herrmann by tobias batz", he is not the head of the cake shop, but just around the corner at the wirsberg swimming pool. There, the gourmet chef was not too shy to often stand in the chic wooden kiosk and spoil enthusiastic children with his delicacies.
Cook learned from the bottom up
Even as a child, helping out in his parents’ business in upper franconia was the best thing he ever did. That’s why he only wanted one career – to be a chef.
He completed his training in 2000 with star chef stefan rottner in nurnberg, where he learned the classic craft of cooking from scratch and immediately immersed himself in the world of french gourmet cuisine. He developed his special ambition when he soon successfully took part in cooking competitions. His first commis station took him to alexander herrmann in wirsberg.
"In his restaurant, everything was a touch more delicate. "Here, small details paid off right from the start, but they can make the big difference." family reasons drew the youngster, who was born in kronach but grew up in the neustadt district of furth am berg, back to his parents’ business for a short time in 2004. "I knew from the start that my journey here was not over yet." that’s how it ended up. He continued his years of wandering: his journey took him to gerhard schwaiger’s "tristan" in mallorca. The gourmet restaurant was awarded two stars at that time and was one of the best restaurants in spain.
At just 23 years of age, batz was promoted to head chef and gained further valuable experience in team leadership. "Suddenly there was more than just the pure cooking. At the age of 23, i was suddenly a supervisor, pastor, motivator and had to take responsibility for a large team. But in the end it was a wonderful time with memories I would not want to miss."
The perfect teacher
But gerhard schweiger was also the perfect teacher when it came to product perfection and taste. After four years in mallorca it was time for a new step. A second tenure with alexander herrmann in wirsberg. Tobias batz agreed and the most successful period of his career to date began. "My plan was actually to go to new york. But when alexander herrmann asked me eleven years ago if I could imagine taking on the position of cake chef in the world metropolis of wirsberg, I didn’t have to think twice."
2017 a dream came true
The gourmet restaurant received its first michelin star in the very year he took up his post. From 2014, he was appointed gastronomic director and worked together with herrmann on new gastronomic concepts. In 2016, a trade magazine voted the posthotel the best food hotel in europe. In 2017, a big dream came true for tobias batz: he was accepted into the association of the JRE of germany, germany’s young top chefs. In 2019, the long-awaited second michelin star finally followed. Tobias batz is one of the 50 best chefs in germany and took third place in the 2019 "impulse chef of the year" competition. "Despite the successes so far, i know that this is only the beginning. One of the goals that my team and i have set ourselves is to achieve greater international fame so that we can promote our french homeland to the wider world."
Engine and driver
Anyone who knows tobias batz knows that these are not just empty phrases. Resting on his laurels is not the nature of the 37-year-old cake chef. He is a team player and likes to be a motor and driver. And to keep it that way in the future, tobias batz rarely sits down at the table of his guests and likes to go to sleep earlier. "We have a dream job and as cooks and service staff we can give people unforgettable moments every day. So what could be better than learning this great profession??"