JRE Genuss-Akademie: Trainees pass with flying colours

BAD ÜBERKINGEN. 13 students from the JRE Genuss-Akademie in Bad Überkingen successfully passed their JRE supplementary examination on 23 April. As part of their graduation ceremony, the newly qualified graduates were cooked for by five chefs from the Jeunes Restaurateurs

The JRE Genuss-Akademie complements the traditional three-year training programme to become a chef in a Jeunes Restaurateurs and DEHOGA Akademie establishment with an additional qualification. Here, the trainees are trained for the special requirements of top gastronomy - including by alternating JRE chefs.

It was precisely for this additional qualification that the students were tested last Tuesday. And they were examined by three JRE top chefs: Benjamin Maerz ("Restaurant Maerz", Bietigheim-Bissingen), Jason Grom ("Die Burg", Donaueschingen-Aasen) and Franz Berlin ("Berlins KroneLamm", Bad Teinach-Zavelstein) joined two teachers from the state vocational school in Bad Überkingen to act as examiners. "All trainees passed at a very high level. We can be proud of our young talent," said a delighted Benjamin Maerz, who is also a patron of the JRE Genuss-Akademie on the association's board. Emilia Montz ("TROYKA", Erkelenz) performed best, followed by Johannes Eickhof ("Söl'ring Hof", Sylt) and Esther Waldherr ("Mural", Munich). First place was awarded a scholarship of 5,000 euros, which will be credited to a further education account.

Examination in teams of two

In the exam, the trainees were initially divided into teams of two, with one person preparing a fish dish with asparagus and the other a dessert with maple syrup. The ingredients came from JRE partners R express, Deutsche See and Maple Syrup Canada. Both dishes were then to be prepared in teamwork. "Creativity, teamwork, presentation and flavour were assessed both as a team and as an individual performance," explains Maerz.

Role swap in the evening

The graduation ceremony was the highlight of the day, when the trainees were honoured for their impressive achievements. "The special thing about the graduation ceremony is the role reversal. In the evening, it's not the trainees who cook, but us JRE members," says Maerz. The finger food for the aperitif and the main course came from Julius Reisch ("Oberschwäbischer Hof", Schwendi), the starter and intermediate course as well as the pre-dessert and dessert were served by Daniel Fehrenbacher ("Adler", Lahr-Reichenbach) and Michael Oettinger (Hotel "Hirsch", Fellbach). JRE Germany Vice President Andreas Widmann ("Widmann's Alb.leben", Königsbronn-Zang), who hosted the evening with Maerz, was also present. "We at JRE-Deutschland have been committed to promoting young talent since our foundation. I am therefore delighted that 13 such promising talents have passed their training at the JRE Genuss-Akademie with flying colours today and are now helping to shape the future of gastronomy. They really deserve the celebration," says Widmann.