Austria : Focus on the Gault&Millau Genussmesse 2022

, Events

This was the Gault&Millau Genussmesse 2022

The most beautiful impressions, a review of the sensational performances of Austria’s best chefs and a varied programme.

It was a splendid celebration of the best local cuisine with all its partners. Around 100 award-winning chefs from Germany and abroad and just as many of the country’s top winemakers made Kursalon Wien a bastion of delight on 17 and 18 September. Around 6 000 guests came to Vienna’s Stadtpark and were pampered by the country’s best chefs. Many producers presented their high-quality products, De’Longhi and Naber brewed fresh coffee and Ankerbrot provided the guests with bread and pastries. A complete success was the premiere of the Austrian Tea Association, which accompanied all dishes with the corresponding tea.

The list of participating chefs reads like a who’s who of award-winning local cuisine. Industry experts such as Heinz Reitbauer, Konstantin Filippou, Martin Klein and Max Stiegl have created hundreds of exquisite delicacies from the professional herds of Lohberger. A complete list of participating chefs is available here.

“Knifemaker” Richard Kappeller forged © a very personal knife for Max Natmessnig Philipp Lipiarski

Chef of the Year Max Natmessnig

The first highlight of the gastronomic fair was the tribute to Chef of the Year Max Natmessnig, who personally received a custom-made knife from the cutlery maker Richard Kappeller on stage A new feature this year was a separate room with representatives of Young Restaurateurs Austria (JRE) Top chefs such as Lukas Nagl, Vitus Winkler, Sören Herzig, Stefan Eder, Eveline Wild and many others spoiled the guests with innovative dishes.

Martina Hohenlohe, editor of Gault&Millau and host of the Genussmesse, is delighted with the high status and wide acceptance of the event: “The Gault&Millau Genussmesse has become a fixture of Austrian gastronomy over the past seven years. It was a fair of superlatives: almost 40,000 dishes were served, almost 1,000 wines could be tasted and never before had we been sold out so quickly. We are already looking forward to the Gault&Millau Genussmesse 2023.”

Great interest from visitors © Philipp Lipiarski

Beaver from Burgenland, tofu from Japan

The programme on the show stage was followed with great interest. One of the highlights was the appearance of Max Stiegl, who prepared a braised beaver shoulder. Or the famous Japanese chef Keiko Kuwakino, who cooked a tofu cream with caramelised figs and other fruits with Martina Hohenlohe. The appearances of Slovenian JRE chefs Jure Tomič and David Vračko in the Miele show kitchen were also closely followed and the results were enjoyed.

In addition to the corresponding tea accompaniment, it was the nearly 100 winemakers who provided further tasting highlights. From southern Styria to Burgenland and from Vienna to Lower Austria, excellent wines were presented. Tuscany and the Hungarian wine region were also represented. One or another sparkling wine and the Schlumberger team provided tingling moments. Producers from the AMA Genussregion presented down-to-earth and innovative delicacies, from goose delicacies to cheese treasures and mealworm snacks.

Bar area

A bar was set up for the first time on the floor of the Kursalon. The teams from Ammersin, Hämmerle, Diageo, Remy Martin, the Beer Buddies, Undone and Munakra created a harmonious bar atmosphere with a festive ambience. Fleischhauer Markus Dormayer served tasty white sausages – classic but also in a vegan version. The high-strength programme was rounded off by the Lvdwig Bar at ground level and the Airstream of Reisetbauer Blue Gin.

The chefs who had done their work relaxed in the exclusive B2B area with Naber coffee, pastries from Anker, Italian specialities from Cibus and a glass or two of Laurent-Perrier champagne. An event of this magnitude can only be successfully organised with absolute professionals as partners. The kitchen stations were equipped by Lohberger, the food was delivered by Metro and the students and teachers of the hotel school on Judenplatz were responsible for the excellent service.

The Bar-Area © Philipp Lipiarski

Anticipation

After the difficult years with the corona, the Gault&Millau Genussmesse was a brilliant showcase for local gastronomy and an emphatic proof that a career in the hotel industry is not only fun, but also brings the highest recognition. The Austrian Gault&Millau team would like to thank all its partners and supporters and is already looking forward to the next gastronomic fair: 16 and 17 September 2023.

By Bernhard Degen