Tobias Schmitt leaves Mainz favourite

MAINZ: After five successful years, Tobias Schmitt, the current head chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Favorite, wants to step down professionally. After the summer, a new young talent will take over the kitchen of the starred restaurant in the Favorite Parkhotel. The Barth family is not yet revealing who it is, but the anticipation is great. There is of course no doubt that guests and friends of exclusive gourmet cuisine can continue to look forward to top-class menus.

Tobias Schmitt, who has managed the gourmet restaurant's kitchen with great dedication and success for the past five years and has deservedly defended his Michelin star year after year, has decided to spend more time with his two children and his wife after the birth of his second child and therefore no longer wants to be the main chef in a Michelin-starred kitchen, reports Christian Barth, Managing Partner of the Favorite Parkhotel.

"We have experienced five very successful years with Tobias Schmitt in the gourmet restaurant and are grateful to him for the outstanding job he has done with us," says Christian Barth. According to the hotel manager, the fact that the 37-year-old now wants to change career direction for personal reasons is a step that his family understands.

Tobias Schmitt, who came to Mainz from the Michelin-starred restaurant Lafleur in Frankfurt in 2020, took over the kitchen of the Favorite gourmet restaurant in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and, with his many creative ideas, ensured that the restaurant remained on everyone's lips despite the difficult conditions. Now the Barth family is fuelling curiosity about the future head chef of the gourmet restaurant in the 4-star superior hotel in Mainz's idyllic city park.

"Our guests can look forward to a young man who has a lot of experience in Michelin-starred gastronomy," says Christian Barth. The now 31-year-old trained as a chef at the Italian Chef Academy, then cooked at Heinz Beck's 3-star restaurant La Pergola and, after a stopover in his home town of Ludwigsburg, travelled to Schloss Monrepos, which is run by the Finkbeiner family, before joining the cadre of Michelin-starred chefs at Traube Tonbach. In Mainz, he is now at the helm of a Michelin-starred kitchen for the first time.

The fact that the Barth hotelier family brings young talent into the head chef position in their gourmet kitchen has now become a recipe for success at the Favorite: Tim Meierhans was just 26 years old in 2010 when he first cooked up a star for the Favorite. His successor Philipp Stein even became Germany's youngest star chef in 2014 at the age of 24.

However, before the "new guy" can get started, the Barths want to use the summer months to realise some structural improvements. The restaurant is currently on holiday until 26 August. With a fresh look, a new chef and a refined, exciting menu, the FAVORITE restaurant will then start its first service on 27 August.

Enjoyable and relaxing moments have been a tradition in Mainz Stadtpark for over 50 years under the direction of the Barth family. Now in its third generation, the entrepreneurial Barth family is shaping the gastronomic landscape in Mainz and the region and is a sought-after partner for events of all sizes and for every occasion.

The Barths have been in charge of the Favorite Parkhotel in Mainz since 1971. What once began as a restaurant business under Christian Barth's parents Eberhard and Kristina Barth has developed into the highest-turnover private hotel in Rhineland-Palatinate. Friends of exquisite food from all over Germany and beyond meet at the Favorite gourmet restaurant. In 2010, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star for the first time and has been one of the top addresses in the region when it comes to top-class gastronomic experiences ever since. In addition to Christian Barth and his wife Anja, their two daughters Julia Barth and Anna Sand have now also joined the management of the family business.

Continuous extensions and expansions at the hotel - including a spacious event and conference area for up to 400 people, as well as the spa area, which opened in 2024 - ensure a contemporary and exclusive ambience for both business guests and leisure travellers.

Hofgut Laubenheimer Höhe, situated in a quiet location in the state capital of Mainz, is an excursion destination and venue for events with a vision in all seasons: high-quality, down-to-earth, Mediterranean and rustic at the same time. With a courtyard garden in summer, an ice rink in winter, the Hofscheune and the Skylounge for small and large parties, this is one of the most scenic places in Mainz.

The latest addition to the family's series of extraordinary venues is located on the opposite side of the Rhine: Johannisberg Palace in the Rheingau. Since 1 May 2025, Favorite Schloss-Gastronomie has been the tenant of the catering and event rooms at the internationally renowned Schloss Johannisberg, the world's first Riesling vineyard. Here, the Mainz-based entrepreneurial family is responsible for the "Schlossschänke" restaurant, the bar at Goetheblick and the event rooms. Just a few weeks ago, the Barths were able to announce that Cem Yoldas, long-time manager of the luxury Nassauer Hof hotel in Wiesbaden, has taken on the role of managing director and host of the Favorite Schloss-Gastronomie at Schloss Johannisberg.

In 2019, the Mainz-based family was honoured for their work with the Hotelier of the Year award, which recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the hotel industry.