From September 21st to September 24th, almost 300 members from all over Germany and the world met to celebrate the National Bailliage’s 98th Grand Chapitre in Hamburg.

The local Bailliage under the leadership of Bailli Betty Schliephake-Burchardt, put together a great programme.

The first evening saw dinners in Chaîne member establishments. Participants could choose between a Big Bottle Party in the wineBank Hamburg, the Michelin 1-star Restaurant Piment or the Restaurant Portomarin. The very successful start was to last through the following days.

Two exciting excursions awaited us on Friday morning.

Anyone traveling to Hamburg MUST take a harbour tour to see Hamburg from a completely different side. We were also allowed to be in a very small group to visit the famous “Elphi” (Elbphilharmonie) followed by lunch above the roofs of the Hanseatic city in the BLICK Bar of the Westin Hotel located in the Elbphilharmonie building. What a magnificent view!

In the evening the choice was a kitchen party in the Michelin 1-star Landhaus Scherrer, the Fischerhafen Restaurant or the Restaurant Tarantella.

On Saturday, September 23rd, the Induction Ceremony was held on the museum ship Rickmer Rickmers. The tall ship, built in 1896, has been in the Hanseatic city since 1983 as a floating landmark of Hamburg and is the pride of the Rickmer Rickmers Foundation, which operates and maintains the ship without public subsidies. It was a wonderful place to promote or welcome around 80 members into our Confrérie. Once again, a warm welcome to all the new Chaîne members.

Michel Cottray, Member Honoraire of the Conseil Magistral, travelled from the south of France to be our Inducting Officer. He led the ceremony with sensitivity and light-hearted humour making everyone feel at ease.

The Grand Gala Dinner was held in the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg, the first member hotel of the Bailliage of Hamburg. In the festive ballroom, 190 members and guests celebrated the “big gathering” one last time. It was an evening of great service, excellent cuisine and wonderful conversations.

During the evening, Chargée de Presse Karin Deißner and Conseiller Gastronomique Klaus Böhler received a special award in the form of the International Chaîne Silver Award in recognition of their special commitment within the Confrérie.

A unique wristwatch was auctioned off in favour of the Chaîne Foundation Germany. The watch was donated by our national partner Wempe Leipzig, represented by Chancelier Peter Peters. The Chaîne Foundation Germany and thus the next generation of gastronomes can look forward to benefitting from 7,500 euro. A big thank you to the generous donor Confrère Bernd Wolfgang Steuten.

For the night owls among us, we could then go to the nearby wineBANK for the “Wine & Digestif Soirée”.

As an “au revoir” on Sunday, the Hanselounge, a private business club, opened its doors for us. But then it was finally “au revoir”.

Kudos to the Bailliage of Hamburg! New friendships and unforgettable moments were created in the spirit of the Chaîne!

Thank you and vive la Chaîne!

Karin Deißner
Chargée de Presse

Photos by Alexander Dedic