Steffen Disch is dead

FREIBURG: Top chef Steffen Disch is dead. As announced on his social media channels, he died last Monday at the age of 53.

Steffen Disch completed his training at the Colombi Hotel in Freiburg. This was followed by stints at the Bamberger Reiter in Berlin, then he moved to Munich and worked at the Hotel Königshof and the Tantris restaurant. His first head chef position was at Forsthaus Ilkahöhe in Tutzing in 2000. From 2002, he worked for two years at the Ifen Hotel in Kleinwalsertal.

His name is most closely associated with the Gasthaus zum Raben in Horben, which he took over in 2005 and ran until 2023. From 2014, his restaurant was awarded one star in the Michelin Guide. In June 2020, he opened Kuro Mori in Freiburg, which combined regional cuisine with Asian influences.

Steffen Disch was a member of the Jeunes Restaurateurs d'Europe. Some of the reactions to the news of his death on social media also came from this circle: numerous colleagues and companions paid tribute to him as an exceptional person and talented chef. Sascha Stemberg spoke of an "unbelievable loss", while Björn Swanson described Disch as a man with "strong opinions and an incredible amount of heart". Markus Pape emphasised his zest for life, which was "infectious and enviable", and Valentin Rottner stressed that Disch would leave a big gap both in the world of gastronomy and as a person.