A guide to Germany's three starred chefs: Juan Amador

In the run up to the release of this year’s German Michelin guide, we take a closer look at Germany’s 3 Michelin star restaurants and chefs.

Juan Amador was born in 1968 in Waiblingen, Swabia and originally wanted to become a hotel manager. At the Gasthof Lamm hotel, he could only do a cooking apprenticeship so he decided to become a chef. Being the son of Spanish parents, he is highly influenced by Spanish cuisine. He is a Relais & Châteaux member and owns the renowned three Michelin star restaurant Amador in Mannheim.

After his apprenticeship he worked at several restaurants all over Germany. At Restaurant Waldhorn he cooked as sous chef under Albert Bouley. His training with him opened his mind to minimalism and aesthetics, Juan says. At Restaurant Petersilie, he worked as head chef for four years, where he achieved his first Michelin star.

In 1997, he moved on to the Fährhaus Munkmarsch on the isle of Sylt as head chef and gastronomic director. Two years later, he became head chef and director at the Schlosshotel Weyberhöfe in Sailauf, Hesse, for four years, where he was awarded two Michelin stars. In 2005, he opened his own restaurant Amador in Langen, Hesse, which was awarded three Michelin stars soon. Following the huge success the restaurant had, it became member of the exquisite collection of high end restaurants of the Relais & Châteaux. He was also awarded “Restaurant of the Year” by the magazine “Der Feinschmecker”

In 2011, the Amador moved to Mannheim, which had a light and futuristic atmosphere due to its modern design. His wife Victoria Wörz has taken the role as maître d’. It was honoured with three Michelin stars again within a year. “The harmony on the plate is most important for me,” Juan says. His cuisine is classic French with traditional Germanic elements, mixed with Basque and Catalan flavours. He lays a great emphasis on fresh, local ingredients and the purity of food and creates an imaginative haute cuisine: “Modern cuisine plays a major role.“ A dish of his is the arabinero shrimp with cauliflower textures, nougat and lime.

Amador offers two menus: Retrospective and Snapshot. The Retrospective, which consists of five courses, doesn’t change as often and includes classics. The Snapshot menu on the other hand, which includes ten courses, changes constantly and contains new creations. He explains, "I would like my guests to sit back and relax, enjoy the evening, let themselves be pleasantly surprised and take something home from the evening to think about.”

He knows that it is important to be creative and not to copy other chefs: “Above all, be careful not to take too much inspiration from your peers – you must remain faithful to yourself.“ Juan did just that and invented the foie gras ice cream, which was criticised harshly at the time but is now widely popular.

The restaurant offers many wines that are fairly unknown, making their collection all the more special. “We only offer wine from Spain and Germany, which are my two countries of origin,” he says.

At the end of 2012, the Amador AG filed for bankruptcy, but it recovered from it fairly quickly. At the end of 2013, Juan started setting up the restaurant Sra Bua of the Kempinski Hotel in Frankfurt, which concentrates on the crossover of Asian and European cuisine. Juan shows there that he is not limited to exquisite Spanish and German cuisine.

By Vera Kleinken

Look out for our editorial on Friday when we ask the question: “Is German cuisine the best kept secret?”