TV chef? No, thank you.

Top chef Amador: “I don’t have such a big ego”

Unlike many of his professional colleagues, you won't be seeing him on TV with a TV show any time soon ...(Bild: Starpix / A. Tuma)

It's not a long way from top gastronomy to the TV screens. In contrast to Rosin, Kumptner and Co, Juan Amador has opted for a life largely away from the society stage.

At the beginning of the week, Wolfgang Rosam presented his coveted awards on behalf of "Fallstaff", and on Friday the gourmet magazine "Á la carte" once again published its list of the hundred best restaurants in the country. Austria's best chef - in any case the only one to have been awarded a phenomenal three Michelin stars - could not be of more interest.

Editor Maria Eberhöfer met the German-Spanish chef for an interview.(Bild: Starpix / A. Tuma)

Juan Amador, whose top restaurant "Amador" in Vienna's 19th district was recently awarded 100/100 "Fallstaff" points for the second time, didn't seem to wallow too much in the flurry of flashbulbs and fame. After all, many of his industry colleagues can now be seen on television more often than in front of hot plates. "Well, I have to admit that I don't have such a personal ego. I'm just very determined when it comes to the work and the cause," he told the Krone.

Steirereck, Amador and Ikarus 
What the three restaurants have in common is their full score in the ranking. The latter achieved this for the first time this year - almost cynically - considering that, according to Greek mythology, Icarus came too close to the sun while flying high and crashed.

Thanks to Juan Amador, "Amador" is the only Austrian restaurant that can boast three Michelin stars.(Bild: Starpix / A. Tuma)

We wanted to know how to prevent this: "By not taking the whole thing so seriously, i.e. the awards and all the press hype, etc. You have to remain normal, down-to-earth and down-to-earth. You have to stay normal, stay down to earth and, above all, stay curious. That way, your mind is always on the move and then it can't really happen."

Even after three Michelin stars, two (full) points in the "Fallstaff" restaurant guide and numerous other achievements, the 55-year-old is not lacking in motivation. "I'm in the kitchen every day with my team" - The awards? For him, "not the goal, just a consequence of my work."