Preview Guest Chefs 2025
Top chefs at Restaurant Ikarus
Guest Chef October 2024: Thomas Schanz
Thomas Schanz was born and raised in the hospitality industry: his father was a winemaker and owner of a small bed & breakfast in the heart of the Moselle wine region. From an early age, Thomas Schanz wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and trained as a hotel manager. Fortunately for all the gourmets who now flock to Thomas Schanz in Piesport, the young man also decided to train as a chef at the legendary Traube Tonbach in Baiersbronn. This was followed by stints with three-star chefs Klaus Erfort in Saarbrücken and Helmut Thieltges in Dreis, among others. In 2011, the then 31-year-old returned to his hometown to take over his parents’ business as “schanz. restaurant. hotel.”
The first successes were not long in coming. In 2012, the man from the Moselle received his first Michelin star. In the meantime, the list of accolades from renowned restaurant guides has grown long: the Michelin Guide has awarded Thomas Schanz and his team its highest rating of three stars. Gault&Millau, too, has no room for improvement with five toques, and has also awarded the titles of ‘Rising Star of the Year 2017’ and ‘Chef of the Year 2021’. Other top ratings and ‘Chef of the Year’ awards include Der Große Guide with 5.5 toques, Schlemmer Atlas with five cooking spoons and Der Feinschmecker with five Fs.
Having reached the pinnacle of the culinary Olympus, Thomas Schanz is still down-to-earth, and his restaurant has remained one thing above all else: an established family business, with generations working together passionately to achieve success. Without jumping on trends or pigeonholing himself into culinary categories, Thomas Schanz creates flavourful and light menus in which herbs and essences provide an exciting backdrop for the main ingredients without overpowering them. He demonstrates creativity, an impeccable sense of composition and the ability to execute with precision. For all the perfection on the plate, there is a self-confident serenity that reinforces a progressive and playful approach to traditional French cuisine and regularly leads to new, unconventional interpretations.
With three Michelin stars under his belt, the exceptional talent Thomas Schanz will be travelling from Rhineland-Palatinate to Salzburg in October 2024 to present his light and complex creations at Restaurant Ikarus. Dishes on the menu include foie gras gratte-ciel, rosé sea bream with sorrel and Kaviari Kristal caviar, and ballotine of poussin with white truffle from Alba. Culinary highlights from one of Germany’s most exciting cuisines, not to be missed.
Each month at Salzburg’s two Michelin-starred Restaurant Ikarus, a different top international chef creates the menu. For this globally unique concept, Hangar-7 executive chef Martin Klein visits the cream of the crop, takes a look behind the scenes of haute cuisine, and is let in on some exciting culinary secrets. “Culinary Heights at Ikarus” offers a unique glimpse into the world of high-end cuisine and provides an interesting portrait of each guest chef, their culinary philosophy, and the food culture of their country.