The Chef of the Year 2008 is Thorsten Probost
Date: 19.09.2008Restaurant Griggeler Stuba, 6764 Lech
During a ceremony held on 19 September, the Griggeler Stuba Chef, Thorsten Probost, was awarded the title of “Chef of the Year 2008”. Three-star chef Probost achieved 18 points out of 20 in the GAULT MILLAU guide 2008. The award of Chef of the Year was created by GAULT MILLAU and is run under the auspices of AGRANA.
THE AWARD
The 2008 ceremony for the “Chef of the Year” award, which is highly coveted by Austria’s top chefs, took place in Lech am Arlberg and was hosted by AGRANA. The “Chef of the Year” award was presented for the 26th time by GAULT MILLAU, with the last 16 awards being made in conjunction with AGRANA. Aside from the award, the Chef of the Year can also enjoy a taste of environmentally friendly travel. VOLVO shall grant the Chef of the Year 2008 use of the new compact coupé C30 with the glass hatch and the unmistakable design with an environmentally friendly FlexiFuel motor for three months. The C30 can be driven using either the environmentally friendly fuel SuperEthanol (which consists of at least 75 % ethanol, which is produced by AGRANA in Pischelsdorf), or with regular unleaded fuel.
“AGRANA supports this award as part of its credo of “Adding value to nature’s gifts”, because even renowned chefs create uniqueness from natural resources with consistency, creativity and artistic perfection. Thorsten Probost represents modern, international cuisine, enriching it with his individual flair and the seasonality and premium quality of the products he uses,” explains AGRANA CEO Johann Marihart on the choice of this year’s top chef.
Henceforth, Thomas Probost shall also make his talent available to AGRANA. Together with product developers from the Fruit Division, Probost will devise recipes for preparing fruit that AGRANA will then offer its clients in the food industry, in particular the dairy industry. “In this way, all of our clients in the fruit sector will be able to benefit from Thorsten Probost’s creativity,” says Marihart.
GAULT MILLAU editor-in-chief, Martina Hohenlohe: “The most impressive thing about Thorsten Probost is his unwavering commitment to quality. His appreciation of the fact that he lives in an area where outstanding ingredients grow, combined with his talent for extraordinary creations, culminates in a range of unique culinary experiences. There are very few Germans who are so familiar with the Lechtal region and what grows there; and equally few chefs who know how to get so much out of these ingredients."
THE WINNER – Thorsten Probost (35)
Thorsten Probost was born on 2 March 1973, in Geislingen|Germany and trained to become a chef at “Burgrestaurant Staufeneck” in Salach, also in Germany.
Key positions in his career
1994 Commis de Cuisine at Hotel Sackmann in Baiersbronn|Germany
1994 Chef de Partie at the tavern “Zum Lamm” in Weinstadt|Germany
1995 Chef Entremetier at the restaurant “Die Scheuer” in Hofheim|Germany
1996 Chef Tournant at Hotel Victoria in Bad Mergentheim|Germany
1996 Chef Gardemanger at Flair Hotel Laurentius in Weikersheim|Germany
1996 to 2001 Chef Poissonier with Jörg Wörther heading the kitchen at Prielau Palace in Zell am See|Austria
Since 2002 Head Chef at Restaurant Griggeler Stuba at Burg Vital Hotel in Oberlech|Austria
His previous awards
Three stars from GAULT MILLAU, 97 points out of 100 in “A la carte 2007”, “GAULT MILLAU Newcomer 1999”, awarded the 2005 Michelin star.
THE SPONSOR
AGRANA is the leading sugar company in Central and Eastern Europe. It is the leading provider of specialised products in Europe by a considerable margin, as well as being Austria’s and Hungary’s largest producer of bioethanol. In the fruit sector, AGRANA is the leading global producer of fruit preparations in Europe. AGRANA constantly develops new, customer-oriented fruit recipes and it operates its own centres for product development in Austria and in the USA. AGRANA employs more than 8,000 located at 53 sites in 25 countries around the world, and generated sales revenues of €1.9bn in its 2007|08 financial year.