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One day before the official presentation of the new “Michelin Guide”, Klaus Erfort was sitting in his office in Saarbrücken when he received a call from Ralf Flinkenflügel.
The editor-in-chief of the gourmet guide informed him that the “Gästehaus Erfort” would be deprived of a star.
Until then, the restaurant had held three stars for 13 years.
ICONIST:
Mr. Erfort, how did you feel when you
heard
about the downgrade?
Klaus Erfort:
Of course it wasn't easy.
But it was fitting that I was alone.
So I was able to let the news affect me in peace and quiet.
But it didn't take me too long to come to terms with the gradation and look ahead.
However, accepting defeat has to be learned.
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ICONIST: Which
not everyone is capable of.
There are cooks who have committed suicide after losing their highest consecration.
Erfort:
Everyone makes something theatrical out of it, and in my opinion it is overly dramatized.
There is just the myth from France in there, where there have unfortunately already been these terrible incidents.
I used to think that if this should happen to you, you would lock yourself in the basement for four weeks and no longer go out on the streets.
With me, however, you can have no worries.
I didn't have any sleepless nights because of it.
With a gap of a few days, I have to say that it doesn't feel so bad to lose a star, because you can win it back.
ICONIST: So
your self-esteem hasn't suffered.
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Erfort:
Not at all.
The reactions on social media also contributed to this.
They were overwhelming.
We had an amazing say.
There was not one who found the devaluation justified.
Some three-star colleagues even called me, and I felt that they wanted to shed a tear or two with compassion.
And then I have to tell you, I've been starved since I was 21 years old.
That's 28 years, of which 13 years with three stars, five years with two stars and the rest of the time with one star.
So I've been doing this long enough.
I don't have to prove anything to myself anymore.
And I have something else to tell you.
ICONIST: There you go
.
Erfort:
I am glad that I have now moved a little out of focus.
Three stars over and over again - that was almost a matter of course.
But now I feel a little liberated.
Cooking on a world-class level every day, trying to create a Van Gogh or Monet on your plate is not always easy.
In order to be able to deal with the constant pressure, I have a personal trainer who is at my side with strength training.
But I am also able to find positive aspects in difficult situations relatively quickly and to look forward again.
I'm there like a lizard that loses its tail and still runs on.
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ICONIST:
Do you know why your third star was taken from you?
Erfort:
I'll find out next week when I meet the people in charge at Michelin in Frankfurt for a debate.
I could only speculate now.
ICONIST:
What could it have been?
The testers must have been your guests several times, even though they were only open from May to October in the Corona year.
Erfort: The
fact that they made a devaluation during the Corona period brings a lot of criticism to Michelin.
I think that's a little unfair too.
On the other hand, I have to admit that I was on the road a lot last year and lived out my life a bit.
I wasn't as present in the restaurant as I was all the years before, which I will now change again.
If success persists, you get tired at some point.
That's human.
But I think I haven't forgotten how to cook.
I have already discussed everything necessary with my 18 employees.
We see the devaluation as a wake-up call.
Mr. Flinkenflügel said to me during our short conversation: "Mr. Erfort, I know what you can do, and there is a way back."
ICONIST:
That means you are planning a comeback?
Erfort:
Of course.
After all, my motto in life is: You have to get up faster than you fall down.
And we are not completely degraded.
We're still a two-star restaurant.
We took a step back, of course, but the motivation to come back is huge.
ICONIST: Do you
fear a
drop in
bookings if you are allowed to reopen your guest house after the lockdown?
Erfort:
No, I don't think so.
Bayern Munich doesn't win the Champions League every year, but the fans keep coming back.
I think the Corona year is also a little better for us, because people are starved and have an extreme desire to finally go out to eat again.
My son has already said: “Dad, a lot of people are coming now and want to see if it has gotten worse at all.” No matter what happens: I will never let the fun of cooking be taken away from me.
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