New head chef at The Knast

BERLIN The contrast between idyllic Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berlin could hardly be greater, but here and there people are looking for real enjoyment. Down in Bavaria, this may now be a little more difficult, as one of the region's most creative chefs will be at the cooker at THE KNAST in Lichterfeld: Michael Zscharschuch is the new head chef at the restaurant in this versatile cultural centre. The 33-year-old is leaving his home country to give free rein to his creativity at THE KNAST and develop new ideas together with the team. "The fact that we chose Michael Zscharschuch is down to his sample plates, which really summed up our vision of THE KNAST, but above all his absolute team player skills," explains Janina Atmadi, Managing Director of THE KNAST cultural venue, "with his likeable manner, he motivates others to take the initiative and he is a welcome sparring partner for our sous chef Robert Todorow. You can tell straight away that Michael is looking forward to his new chapter in his life in Berlin - so everything just fits."

Most recently, Zscharschuch was Head Chef at Restaurant 4Eck in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He started there in 2022 as Sous Chef with Jörg Heid. He was also sous chef at the Italian retreat restaurant at Schloss Elmau and sous chef at Hotel Reindl's Partenkirchner Hof, where he had also completed his training with Marianne Holzinger years earlier. Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, he discovered his passion for cooking as a child. Since then, his love of experimentation has only increased. He has mastered French cooking techniques as well as traditional methods and has a soft spot for Asian cookery. This cosmopolitan approach offers him enormous opportunities to amaze with flavours, textures and combinations.

The menu includes dishes such as char with elderberry, radish, gin and whey or Werdenfelser venison with root vegetables, sesame oil and sea buckthorn. For dessert, the first menu includes porcini mushroom with sour cherry and cocoa. "I'm looking forward to the new tasks," says Michael Zscharschuch, "there are so many exciting restaurants in Berlin that inspire and also challenge us to create something unique at this unique location in Lichterfelde." This is no reason for Zscharschuch to get nervous. He is always on the lookout for new things, sustainable products, old recipes and forgotten preparation methods. What's more, guests at THE KNAST will only be served new compositions on a regular basis once the entire team is convinced. In this way, THE KNAST reliably sets itself apart from Lichterfelde's predominantly home-style catering scene with new approaches.

As with all of the cultural events on offer at the former women's prison in Berlin Lichterfelde, the same applies to the restaurant: 18+ for socialising among adults. The Knast restaurant is currently open Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm to 11pm.