Restaurant
With three gourmet restaurants, the town of Baiersbronn in the Black Forest is a Mecca for gourmets. At the Bareiss, in the eponymous hotel, Claus-Peter Lumpp shines three Michelin stars and aligns 19 points in Gault-Millau. While he especially did not want to become a cook!
Latest edition : 05 May 2021
The man is a poem. A bon vivant who knows how to take life on the bright side and who fully blossoms in his work. And yet!
Passionate about motorsport, he was attracted by engines and mechanics. But especially not in the kitchen! At the age of three (!) he was already behind the pans. “I did randomly,” says Claus-Peter Lumpp, whose grandmother said he would do his job…
"But I came to the kitchen a bit out of necessity," smiles the man who is one of the best chefs in Europe.
“School was not my forte, so I looked for an apprenticeship and at the time there were a lot of offers for cooks. So I decided to become a cook despite everything.
While waiting to turn 18 and be able to begin his training… at the Bareiss (at the time still the Kurhotel Mitteltal), he did internships with a baker and a butcher.
After his apprenticeship, he left for a real gastronomic tour of Europe. Because, between childhood and her first steps in the kitchens of the Kurhotel Mitteltal, her opinion obviously changed and cooking became a real passion.
His initiatory journey takes him to Munich at Tantris with Heinz Winkler then at Aubergine with Eckart Witzigmann. Or even in Monte-Carlo at Louis XV at Alain Ducasse.
When he took over the kitchen of the gastronomic restaurant Bareiss, it was already crowned with 2 stars.
In the kitchen, Claus-Peter Lumpp can count on seven chefs and a pastry chef. “Without my team, nothing is possible! Everyone brings their ideas and the 3rd star was the crowning achievement for all of us. He
who never wanted to become a cook is now a happy man. “I achieved all my goals. So all that matters to me now is the satisfaction and happiness of our guests.”
And the “Michelin pressure”? " I do not have it anymore. With three stars, you are so demanding of yourself that it is part of your personality, it never leaves you. So we can't do less. »
But this third star, precisely, we had to wait a few years. Too long years, for the taste of Claus-Peter Lumpp. The explanation? “In the team, everyone has their assigned job. Me too. So when I prepared "my" dish, I couldn't see everything else. I had a lot of success when I was cooking but the famous crowning moment came when I was no longer cooking. This obviously
does not mean that Claus-Peter Lumpp no longer cooks! He's still in the kitchen. But instead of concentrating on cooking his fish (or any other dish), he watches over everything, tastes if he has any doubts, possibly corrects the seasoning.
But let's finally go through the doors of the Bareiss. The classic elegance of the place is brightened up by a sumptuous floral arrangement and, above all, the smiling welcome.
Carmen and Lisa in traditional dress (every day a different “Dirndl”), Andreas and Ayhan (cheese specialist!) and head waiter Thomas Brandt
ensure the comfort of their guests throughout a meal that thrills the taste buds. Thomas Brandt knows how to welcome with style and friendliness in all simplicity. The Gault Millau guide named him "Maître d'hôtel of the year" in 2015.
Small bites served with the aperitif on a small silver shelf foreshadow the hot and cold appetizers. Starters, seafood and fish, meats, cheeses, desserts, after-dessert,… the size of the menu depends on your appetite. The gastronomic menu is offered with six or eight dishes (plus the “before….” and the “after….” and other little extras). The vegetarian menu deserves a special mention for the creativity of the different dishes.
The plates look like masterpieces, the smallest ingredient is worked artistically and with finesse.
It is so beautiful that one hesitates to destroy everything. But as there is no rush, we take the time to taste. First with the eyes, before fully savoring the texture of each dish, the skilful blends of flavors...
After the dessert and the after-desserts, this gourmet journey full of emotions is still extended with the confectionery trolley and the magnificent treasure box filled with exquisite chocolates created by Stefan Leitner, distinguished "pastry chef of the year 2017" by Gault Millau, the other Bareiss magician!
Restaurant Bareiss, closed Monday and Tuesday, holidays from July 24 to August 24,
D-72270 Baiersbronn-Mitteltal,
Tel. 00 49 7442 470.