In Frankfurt am Main on April 7th, we were in search of Germany’s best Young Chef and Young Sommelier to represent the Bailliage at the International Finals in Istanbul (April 2026) and in Geneva (September 2025) respectively.

Under the motto “connect - inspire - grow together” both competitions once again took place on the same day.

With this exclusive event, the National Bailliage offers young, committed employees from the hospitality industry the opportunity to compete with their peers. In previous years, the competition has discovered young talents who have gone on to pursue sensational careers and now work in top restaurants - even internationally.

This year’s competition for the young sommeliers began at the Westin Grand Hotel Frankfurt with a blind tasting, followed by theoretical and practical examinations. Tasks included recommending wines to accompany a menu, solving operational problems and providing champagne service.

An esteemed jury carried out the evaluation:
- Hagen Hoppenstedt, Échanson of Germany from KaDeWe, Berlin
- Maximilian Wilm, Maître Sommelier from Kinfelts Kitchen & Wine, Hamburg
- Mirco Liesk, Sommelier from Kinfelts Kitchen & Wine, Hamburg
- Torsten Junker, Sommelier from Wein am Limit, Hamburg

The young chefs, as every year, were tested thoroughly in the training kitchen of the IB Hotel. From a challenging basket of ingredients, they had to prepare a three-course meal under enormous time pressure, judged in two categories: 1) Kitchen and 2) Tasting. In the “Kitchen” category the focus was on working methods, cooking technique and organization. In the “Tasting” category, the focus was on flavour, creativity and presentation.

Here, too, we found an outstanding jury for the evaluation:

Tasting Jury
- Hans-Stefan Steinheuer, Conseiller Culinaire of Germany from the Michelin 2-star Steinheuers Restaurant
- Wolfgang Becker, Officier Maître Rôtisseur from the Michelin 1-star Becker’s Hotel, Trier
- Stefan Neugebauer, Maître Rôtisseur, from the Michelin 1-star Deidesheimer Hof, Deidesheim
- Dennis Kuckuck, Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Vendôme, Bergisch-Gladbach
- Daniel Schöfisch, Chef de Cuisine at Wellnesshotel Seezeitlodge Hotel & Spa, Nohfelden
- Peter Peters, Chancelier of Germany
- Dieter Oster, Chef Rôtisseur, Bailli of Franken

Kitchen Jury
- Thilo Hanke – Vice-Conseiller Culinaire from Braustübl’, Darmstadt
- Hubertus Schultz, Maître Hôtelier from Schlosshotel Gedern, Gedern
- Adrian Kaiser, Maître Rôtisseur from the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport

After a long and demanding day, the award ceremony and subsequent Induction Ceremony took place at the Westin Grand Hotel Frankfurt. More than 120 members from all over Germany joined the Gala Dinner to celebrate the young talents.

A great achievement and well-deserved recognition for all participants, especially for:

Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs
- 1st Place: Dennis Schneider, Hotel Seezeitlodge, Nohfelden
- Runner-up: Daniel Schwarz, Hotel Bareiss, Baiersbronn-Mitteltal
- Third Place: Jonas Mielke, Deidesheimer Hof, Deidesheim

Jeunes Sommeliers
- 1st Place: Eric-Vincent Skroch, Kinfelts Kitchen & Wine, Hamburg
- Runner-up: Jan Müller, KaDeWe, Berlin
- Third Place: Pascal Roth, Restaurant Papageno, Konstanz

Dennis Schneider and Eric-Vincent Skroch will represent the National Bailliage at the respective international Finals. We already wish them much success and a wonderful time filled with new experiences.

The International Final of the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition will take place on April 18, 2026, in Istanbul, Türkiye, and the International Final of the Jeunes Sommeliers Competition will be held from September 10 to 14, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Finally, a big thank you to our national cooperation partners and to the Chaîne Foundation Germany, who once again supported this event with fantastic prizes.

Vive la Chaîne!

Karin Deißner
Chargée de Presse

Photos courtesy of Alexandra Kapherr