CHEF:IN Awards winners: Berlin takes five of nine titles

The first CHEF:IN Awards went to nine women on Monday evening in Hamburg, and five of the nine titles go back to Berlin, led by joint Chefs of the Year Sarah Hallmann of Hallmann & Klee and Julia A. Leitner of CODA.

About 110 guests from restaurants, retail and the media gathered at Foodlab Hamburg on 14 September, according to the trade title Tophotel. Hallmann could not attend the ceremony, Der Feinschmecker reported. Two of the seven categories ended in a tie, which is how seven trophies became nine winners.

Berlin dominates the CHEF:IN Awards list

Nine trophies in Hamburg, and Germany still counts 15 women running its starred kitchens.

Besides the two chefs, Berlin collected Hostess of the Year for Ilona Scholl of Tulus Lotrek, Sommelier of the Year for Nancy Großmann of Grill Royal and Bartender of the Year for Maria Gorbatschova of Green Door Bar. Pastry Chef of the Year was shared by Larissa Metz of Restaurant Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach and Emma Betti of Tantris Maison Culinaire in Munich.

Entrepreneur of the Year went to Kristin Hendricks-Fuchs, who is taking the Romantik Hotel Spielweg in Münstertal, in the Black Forest, into its next generation. The one title awarded outside Germany, International Chef of the Year, went to Ana Roš of Hiša Franko in Kobarid, which in 2023 became the first restaurant in Slovenia to hold three Michelin stars.

The jury's notes favour restraint over effect. Der Feinschmecker quotes it praising Hallmann for cooking that is clear and precise yet full of depth, and Leitner for working at the seam between kitchen and pastry, where a dessert course can stand on its own. Betti, the jury said, thinks about pastry more like a cook, with reduction, little sugar and clear flavours.

Fifteen of 339 starred kitchens

The 22-member jury, chaired by food journalist Anja Wasserbäch, weighed technical skill alongside leadership, team culture, attitude and entrepreneurial record, according to Restaurant Ranglisten. Founder Denise Snieguolė Wachter put the approach in one line: "Craft excellence is our entry ticket, not the whole answer."

The numbers explain why the platform exists. Of Germany's 339 Michelin-starred restaurants, 15 are run by women, or 4.4%, Restaurant Ranglisten calculates. The CHEF:IN watch list behind the awards now names 72 women across kitchen, pastry, service, wine and bar, Tophotel reported, and the shortlists announced before the ceremony were drawn from it.

Nine trophies do not move a 4.4% share on their own. The next count arrives with the Michelin Guide's 2027 selection for Germany.