Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who is Chef Robin, and how did you first find your way into the kitchen?
I’m from southern Germany, and I knew I wanted to be a chef when I was seven. As a child, I loved helping my mother in the kitchen. Later, my brother became a chef, which inspired me even more. That dream has never changed.
Q: You’ve spent years working in some incredible kitchens across Europe. What were the biggest experiences that shaped you into the chef you are today?
At 19, I worked as a chef de partie at the two Michelin starred Chesa Pirani. I learned an enormous amount working alongside Chef Daniel Bumann, particularly about sustainability and classical French cuisine. Working at Disfrutar was another inspiring experience. It opened my eyes to different ways of thinking about food.
Q: You started your career with a traditional apprenticeship and eventually became an Executive Chef. Looking back, how has your cooking changed?
A few years ago, my cooking was still strongly influenced by whichever chef I was working with at the time. Today, I feel I’ve found my own style and a way of expressing the things that matter to me through food.
Q: After your most recent role as Executive Chef at Kraken, what made you want to return to the supper club scene and create Robz’ Chef’s Table?
Robz’ Chef’s Table gives me the freedom to show my own cuisine and tell my story. I hope to open my own restaurant one day, and the chef’s table is a wonderful way to develop that vision and share it with guests.
Q: For someone who hasn’t experienced Robz’ Chef’s Table before, how would you describe it? What do you want people to feel when they sit down at your table?
It’s a journey through my life, both as a chef and as a person. The food is rooted in Germany, with Asian influences woven throughout. Above all, I want guests to feel at home and have fun. It’s a place to enjoy food and stories, and perhaps leave with a few new friends.
Q: Your cooking brings together your German roots with a love for Asian flavours and techniques. Where did that connection with Asian cuisine begin?
I’ve travelled a lot through Asia and fell in love with the diversity of its flavours. I knew I wanted to bring those experiences into my cooking while still showing where I come from. Combining the two feels very natural to me.
Q: The seven courses are described as different “impressions” or chapters of your life. How do you turn a personal memory into a dish?
It might begin with a memory or simply a craving, which I then connect with another idea. When I was young, we went to the market every Saturday. You could smell the sauerkraut from far away, and that smell stayed with me.
Maultaschen, a type of dumpling from southern Germany, are another favourite of mine. I brought those memories together in a dish: a Maultasche glazed with oyster sauce hollandaise, served with lettuce stuffed with sauerkraut and topped with coriander mayonnaise and sriracha. I finish it with a lemongrass jus to bring in the Asian flavours I love.
Q: If you could cook for any three people, past or present, who would you invite to your table, and why?
First, my mother. She passed away when I was eight, and I wish I could show her everything I’ve learned since then.
Second, my grandmother. She had such a love for food and wine, and I would be so happy to cook for her.
And third, my sister, who is the sibling I’m closest to. I hope she’ll come and visit me soon so she can experience the chef’s table for herself.
Q: Which dish on your current menu best represents you as a chef?
A dessert I call Childhood Memories. It’s inspired by how much I loved cinnamon cornflakes as a child. I serve cinnamon panna cotta with an apple beignet, a nod to a traditional German dessert, and arrange real cornflakes around it.
At the table, I pour over milk infused with cinnamon and cornflakes. As a child, I always thought the milk left in the bowl tasted even better than the cornflakes themselves. That little memory became the heart of the dish.
Q: Finally, what’s next for Robz’ Chef’s Table?
I’m working on a new hot dog brand called SNAP, which I’m very excited about. Robz’ Chef’s Table will also travel to Lebanon and Morocco this year for collaborations. I’m looking forward to bringing my food to new places and seeing what those experiences inspire.
