New chefs at the Hotel Atlantic

HAMBURG: The restaurants at the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg are starting the autumn season under new culinary management. In the Atlantic Restaurant, former sous chef Fokke Mick is taking over as head chef from Alexander Mayer, who cooked up a Michelin star with the team there this year. The fine dining restaurant is also introducing a new restaurant manager, Joana Schulz. Daniel Thompson will be responsible for the culinary offering at Atlantic Grill & Health, which focuses on regional, healthy and relaxed flavours. The restaurant management there will remain in the proven hands of Lia Weber. Executive Chef Nils Ulott and F&B Director Riccardo Löffler will continue to be responsible for the overall management of the catering at the five-star superior hotel on Hamburg's Outer Alster.

Travelling to distant lands and Hanseatic cosmopolitanism - this is what the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg has stood for since its foundation. And so the grand hotel takes its guests on a real culinary journey, as Hotel Director André Vedovelli describes it: "The spirit of 'discovering the world' characterises the identity of the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg, and we want our Hamburg and international guests to feel this every time they visit. The focus is on enjoyment and the culinary experience rounds off the overall experience and well-being in our grand hotel."

André Vedovelli continues: "The large number of regular guests from Germany and abroad shows how the gastronomic variety is appreciated with the relaxed enjoyment and lunch in the Atlantic Grill & Health as well as the fine dining at the highest level in the Atlantic Restaurant. And he adds: "We have an outstanding team on board to delight our guests with the unique cuisine of the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg and our warm, attentive service."

Atlantic Restaurant: Head Chef Fokke Mick, Restaurant Manager Joana Schulz

Fokke Mick has been Sous Chef at the Atlantic Restaurant since summer 2023 and is now taking over the position of Head Chef at the restaurant, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2024. Born in Berlin, the 38-year-old started his career by training as a chef at ESTREL Berlin. After graduating, he worked at the former Le Petit Felix at the Hotel Adlon Berlin from 2013 to 2016, where he progressed from Commis de Cuisine to Sous Chef. This was followed by two years as Chef de Partie at Vital Hotel Alter Meierhof, Restaurant Meierei Dirk Luther in Glücksburg, during which time the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars, 18 points in Gault Millau and 10 pans in the Gusto restaurant guide, among other accolades. In May 2019, Fokke Mick took over as sous chef at the Wintergarten restaurant at Brenners Park Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, which was awarded 16 points in Gault Millau and 7 pans in the Gusto restaurant guide, among other accolades. In June 2023, he then moved to the Atlantic Restaurant and was a permanent member of Alexander Mayer's kitchen team, which earned the Michelin star. Alexander Mayer is leaving the Atlantic Restaurant to continue his professional development and also to move closer to his young daughter.

Fokke Mick is looking forward to further developing the gastronomic flagship of the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg and its culinary style: "The Atlantic Restaurant is the flagship of the Grand Hotel and is characterised by our classic French cuisine with international influences. My team and I will continue this culinary journey and at the same time interpret it in new and surprising ways. We want our guests to say: 'I can only experience this here'."

Joana Schulz joins the Atlantic Restaurant team as the new Restaurant Manager. The restaurant and hotel specialist has extensive experience in the luxury hotel industry, particularly in Hamburg. From 2017 to April 2024, the 35-year-old was 2nd Maître d'Hotel at the GRILL Restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten on the Inner Alster. Born in Grevesmühlen, Joana Schulz began her professional career by training as a restaurant and hotel manager at Gutshaus Stellshagen. She then moved to Switzerland, where she held various positions from Commis de Rang to Maître d'Etage at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina from 2011 to 2015. She then worked as 2nd Maître d'Hotel at the Hotel Giardino Mountain in Champfer until 2016, before swapping the Alps for the Alster and the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten.

Now she has moved from the Inner to the Outer Alster and has set herself a clear goal for the Atlantic Restaurant. "I particularly want to be a hostess for the people of Hamburg. Personal contact and appreciation are important to me. For many of them, the Atlantic Restaurant has been 'their' restaurant for generations, where they can enjoy a meal together and celebrate special occasions in a stylish, modern feel-good atmosphere," says Joana Schulz. "And I also want to win over the next generation of guests for our wonderful starred gastronomy and upscale service culture."

Atlantic Grill & Health: Head Chef Daniel Thompson, Restaurant Manager Lia Weber

Daniel Thompson is the new head chef at Atlantic Grill & Health. Born in England, he has held management positions in the kitchens of renowned hotels in London and Hamburg in recent years. After completing his training in 1998, the now 43-year-old initially laid the foundations in the five-star Dorchester and The Grange hotels in London, among others. From 2006 to 2007, Daniel Thompson was Sous Chef at the Mar-a-Lago Club, Florida. From there he returned to London, where he worked as sous chef at The Covent Garden Hotel and The private Club@Ivy Restaurant and as chef de partie at Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred restaurant Royal Hospital Road. Daniel Thompson then travelled to Hamburg in 2010, initially to the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, where he took on the role of Head Chef. From September 2015 to April 2019, he held the position of Deputy Executive Chef at the five-star superior hotel and then spent five years as Executive Chef at The Dining Room at Fraser Suites Hamburg. Daniel Thompson summarises what is important to him as the new head chef at the Atlantic Grill & Health as follows: "Regional and seasonal products on the menu, the high quality of the food and the service go hand in hand - this is how we create a sense of well-being and relaxed enjoyment for our guests."

Restaurant Manager Lia Weber, who has been leading the service team at the Atlantic Grill & Health since January 2024, agrees and adds: "We want to offer a high standard of service at all times in the casual ambience of the Atlantic Grill & Health. Of course, even when things have to be done quickly, as with our daily lunch offer. Our service team wants to give guests the feeling of 'eating with friends' at all times." The 25-year-old, who was born in Essen, has several years of experience in catering in luxury hotels. After training as a hotel specialist at the Schlosshotel Hugenpoet in Essen-Kettwig, Lia Weber worked there as Demi Chef de Rang, among other things. In 2020, she moved to the north and to the Grand Elysée Hamburg. There she held various positions in the F&B area, such as Head of the Rooftop Bar, and was Assistant Manager F&B at the five-star hotel before joining the Atlantic Grill & Health team.

With this experienced and committed management team in its restaurants, the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg is continuing its unmistakable journey of flavours and always allowing its guests to discover something new.

The Atlantic Restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday from 6.30 pm to 11 pm. The Atlantic Grill & Health is open Monday to Friday from 12 noon to 2 pm (lunch) and daily from 5.30 pm to 11 pm (dinner).