An Evening with Juan Amador – At Amador’s Wirtshaus & Greißlerei

Hello Beauties,

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love good food and good wine. I have a definite weakness for beautiful, well-cooked dishes. Recently, we took you with us to Vienna and met a very special person: Juan Amador, a chef distinguished with three Michelin stars. Interviewing Juan had long been a heartfelt wish of mine. My father is a passionate home cook and Roger is also a real talent in the kitchen, which made it even more special that Juan took almost three hours of his time for us.

Juan Amador was exactly as I had imagined him: incredibly likeable, grounded and very charming. When we arrived in Vienna Döbling, we were immediately impressed by the atmosphere and setting at Amador’s Wirtshaus. Juan was born in the Swabian village of Strümpfelbach as the son of Spanish guest workers. Today we are telling you about his new restaurant concept in Vienna, Amador’s Wirtshaus & Greißlerei.

1. How do you like Vienna and its way of life?

Juan: I moved to Vienna and have finally arrived. I have known the city for a long time, because I used to spend almost every weekend here. I also met my wife here seven years ago. At the beginning I was still commuting, but it quickly became clear that I wanted to stay. I feel very much at home here and I love the mix of culture, music and art.

2. Would you say you have arrived – personally and professionally?

Juan: You could definitely say that – yes, I have arrived. People here are very friendly, and there is a very special charm to the city.

3. How did you come up with the idea for your new concept in Vienna – Amador’s Wirtshaus & Greißlerei?

Juan: Last year I caused a bit of a stir when I wanted to take over the former upscale club “Ranz”. The ambience would have been perfect and had a very distinctive style. In the end, however, the project fell through. I then joined forces with winemaker Fritz Wieninger and took over the winery of Stefan Hajszan in Vienna-Döbling. Amador’s Wirtshaus & Greißlerei, with its 95 seats, has turned out exactly as we envisioned it.

I consciously decided against classic fine-dining star cuisine for this concept. I wanted to be in Vienna because of my love for my wife, and I am fascinated by Austrian cuisine and culture – by the combination of tradition and innovation. Cooking is a high-performance sport, and I always emphasise: it is not “art”. I take criticism very seriously and am always open to ideas.

4. What do stars mean to you, and how would you describe your other restaurants?

Juan: I am still happy about every star, but of course, at some point a certain routine sets in – and, to be honest, also a certain level of expectation. When we opened SRA BUA at Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, or SRA BUA at Kempinski Gravenbruch in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt, or ALMA in Singapore, I was very much hoping for each of them to receive a Michelin star. Fortunately, that worked out.

I have high standards for myself, and a star is a confirmation that, for example, I have trained my head chefs on site properly. At the same time, each of my restaurants has its own DNA, its own signature. They are all special and unique in their own way.

5. When are you at your most creative?

Juan: Cooking starts in the mind. I draw inspiration from architecture and from the products themselves – the ingredients I work with and already begin to compose in my head. I love classic dishes; we don’t need to reinvent the world. If something is good, it can stay the way it is. Juan laughs. These days it is often harder to find a cook who truly understands the basics, the “1×1” of classic cuisine – things like a proper beef broth.

At some point I mentioned to Juan that my father is an absolute professional in the kitchen, and then came the most wonderful gift I could ever have imagined: Juan said to me, “Then bring your dad and we will cook together.” I almost fainted from excitement and could hardly wait to tell my father the news. We are now looking for a date, and of course we will let you know exactly when Juan and my dad will be cooking together.

6. How do you choose your team?

Juan: I always choose my team members based on intuition. Grades do not matter to me as much as the human side and real professional qualification. As the saying goes: one person alone can destroy an entire team. That is why it is so important to me that the energy and spirit are right.

7. We watched the show “Kitchen Impossible” with Tim Mälzer – we absolutely loved you there. What did you enjoy most about filming?

Juan: “Kitchen Impossible” and Tim are fantastic. It was, first and foremost, a battle against myself – and that was the most fascinating part. Personally, I like the show just as much as you do. I was able to take a great deal away from the experience. It was all about pushing your limits, and I had my own “Kitchen Impossible” on the plate quite quickly.

8. What is your favourite dish or favourite thing to eat?

Juan: I love bread. It is very difficult to find truly good bread of high quality. We are opening our own bakery this year, and there I will finally be able to fully explore that passion.

9. Did you always want to become a chef?

Juan: Actually, no – I never planned on becoming a chef. I more or less slipped into it. My uncle worked in the hotel business and could afford nice cars back then. I wanted that too and decided to do my school internship in a hotel. They put me in the kitchen, and it opened my eyes immediately. Even during that internship I was fascinated by what you can create from raw ingredients and how products transform through preparation.

As a chef you are, in a way, always an artist. I constantly have new ideas that I can implement straight away. No one dictates what I have to do – I can experiment as I wish. It is like taking a raw diamond and cutting it again and again. That is what makes it so incredibly exciting.

10. What is your personal idea of happiness?

Juan: It doesn’t help if you receive all the recognition in the world professionally and are always “on top”. That may make you happy in the short term and is certainly a wonderful feeling, but what really matters is that I have arrived in my private life – that I have found the love of my life and enjoy my free time with my wife, and the moments we share. That is happiness for me.

Dear Juan, we are already looking forward to seeing you again very soon – especially for the long-awaited “battle” in the kitchen with my dad. He cannot wait to meet you in person and to cook with you and your team. Thank you for your wonderfully honest way of being, and we wish you and Amador’s all the luck and success in the world.

xo Tanja