The "Val d'Or" near Bingen in Rhineland-Palatinate is closed. In 1994 the restaurant was awarded a star by the Michelin Guide. Now the operators, the TV-chef Johann Lafer and his wife, want to reorient themselves.
"I want to be closer to the people," said 61-year-old Lafer in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. He wanted to "go back to his culinary roots", focusing on what he always wanted: "sustainable products, good workmanship and unpretentious service".
It was "a matter of the heart" for him to free himself from the constraints to which he had previously been subjected. When asked if such a star was a compulsion, Lafer said, "In a way, to play in the star kitchen, every deco must be down to the last detail, with the highest quality ingredients essential."
However, such ingredients are becoming harder and more sustainable to organize: "When I think of marine fish alone: where should they come from, in the quality in which top restaurants need them?" There is a problem with the LCA.
Star kitchen is always a huge effort - "and to operate this effort, ultimately for a small area in our company, I do not want that anymore," said the Austrian.
The Stromburg will continue to be "a place of enjoyment," assured Lafer. In the future, show cooking events would take place there, in the summer the castle courtyard should be used for events.
Most of his activities - such as his cooking school, cooking on television or his magazine - he will continue, so Lafer.