New head chef at Hotel & Restaurant Ole Liese

PANKER - Culinary reorientation at Gut Panker: Johannes Sommer is the new head chef at the traditional Hotel & Restaurant Ole Liese, who, together with hotel director and kitchen patron Tobias Dittrich, is now responsible for the gastronomic fortunes of the hotel. With the new chef at the cooker, a revised culinary approach is also being introduced at the Ole Liese: the former two restaurants, the Ole Liese Wirtschaft and the gourmet restaurant 1797, are being reorganised into one delightful retreat, the Restaurant Ole Liese. Here, in a relaxed atmosphere, the kitchen team combines upscale pub cuisine and exquisite haute cuisine to create a special symbiosis that appeals equally to all lovers of fine cuisine.

Johannes Sommer was born in Schleswig-Holstein and has been working in the catering industry since 2011. After his vocational training as a chef and subsequent permanent position as Commis de Cuisine at the a-Rosa Resort Travemünde, he spent several years at the Weissenhaus Grand Village Resort & Spa, where he worked his way up to Demi Chef de Partie. After working in various high-class kitchens, including the Strandhotel Fofana in Timmendorfer Strand, the Favola restaurant in Lübeck and the Budersand Hotel on Sylt, he moved to the Romantik Hotel zur Schwane in Volkach in 2021, where he learnt from star chef Cornelia Fischer. Most recently, he worked as a sous chef at the Liberty Hotel Bremerhaven before taking over the culinary reins at Hotel & Restaurant Ole Liese this autumn.

"I grew up in Schleswig-Holstein, so I've always been familiar with the excellent cuisine at Ole Liese. So I'm all the more looking forward to the challenge," says the new head chef. "In my position as Chef de Cuisine, I don't want to change the restaurant's fundamental culinary philosophy of regional, sustainable and cosmopolitan cooking, but I do want to sharpen it. We want to create a place where every gourmet feels at home - whether it's classic, upmarket pub fare or exquisite haute cuisine. In order to offer our guests the best possible experience, I rely on positive communication, strong team spirit and teamwork in the kitchen - this is the only way we can ultimately put exceptionally good dishes on the plates."

Hotel Director Tobias Dittrich adds: "We are very happy to have found a new head chef for the Ole Liese in Johannes Sommer, who not only has many years of experience in the catering industry, but also brings plenty of fresh approaches and ideas to the table. We are convinced that he is the right man for the conceptual reorientation of our establishment and will further strengthen Ole Liese's reputation as a 'place to be' for everyone who appreciates good food."