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Sebastian Frank, the chef de cuisine of Restaurant Horvath in Berlin, was named the winner of the international competition Chef of the Year on 10 October at Anuga. The international jury of experts headed by the leading chef Dieter Müller chose Tristan Brandt of Victor's Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Berg in Perl-Nennig as the second-place winner; third place went to David Papin of the Lago restaurant in Ulm. The winners were awarded €26 000 in prize money.

A total of 400 chefs from Germany, Austria and Switzerland entered the competition. A jury of renowned experts selected the eight finalists at four semifinal rounds held in Cologne, Stuttgart, Berlin and Hamburg. On 10 October in Cologne these semifinalists once again took on the challenge of preparing an original three-course meal for six people in just five hours, using ingredients that cost a combined total of no more than €16 per person.

International jury selects winners based on a blind tasting

As at the semifinals, the jury selected the winners on the basis of a blind tasting. In this procedure, each meal is identified by a number in order to ensure that the winner is chosen only on the basis of the dishes presented. The international jurors at the finale - Dieter Müller, Martina Kömpel (France), Léa Linster (Luxembourg), Lisl Wagner-Bacher (Austria), Hans Stefan Steinheuer, Erhard Schäfer, Georg Maushagen and Jordi Cruz (Spain) – tasted the 24 courses over a period of two hours. In the evening they announced their clear choice of Frank as the winner of the competition.

An Austrian wins in Cologne

Frank, a native of Austria, has been the chef de cuisine of Restaurant Horvath in Berlin for a year. He was drawn to the German capital by a romantic relationship and the good career opportunities there. After training at the Steiereck restaurant and his time at the Chef's Table restaurant at the Interalpen Hotel Tyrol, he knew he wanted to run a kitchen.

For his appetizer course, Frank presented autumn vegetables with hazelnut, followed by the main course of entrecôte, onions, elderberry, sturgeon and langos. The meal was perfectly rounded out by a dessert made of carrots, black currants, lemon, sheep's yoghurt, crunchy almond oil and rose geranium. The entry process for the second competition, which will begin in January 2012, has already begun. The participating professional chefs based in Germany, Austria or Switzerland can secure their place among the top chefs. The finale will take place at Anuga 2013.

Chef of the Year is the new competition for professional chefs from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The challenge for the competitors is to cook a three-course meal for six people in only five hours. The cost of the ingredients may not exceed €16 per person. The expert jury chaired by the renowned chef Dieter Müller will choose two finalists in each of the semifinal rounds.

These eight contestants will then appear at the finale at Anuga with a new menu prepared under the same conditions as they vie for the title ‘Chef of the Year’ and €26,000 in prize money. The aim of the competition, which originated in Spain, is to present the first Europe-wide finale at Anuga 2015.