Record attendance at Rolling Pin Convention

DÜSSLEDORF - "BE UNIQUE OR DIE" was the motto of this year's Rolling Pin Convention Germany, which took place in Düsseldorf on 29 and 30 September. Over 100 of the world's best and most creative chefs and thought leaders in top gastronomy presented their latest dishes, techniques and ideas as well as the latest global gastronomy trends to their colleagues in rousing masterclasses, keynotes and demonstrations at Areal Böhler.

From holistic cuisine to a dinner in the stratosphere - the spectrum of this year's highlights was exceptionally broad. Probably the most progressive chef in the world, Rasmus Munk from Copenhagen, wants to sensitise guests and change the world with his holistic cuisine. He uses unusual ingredients such as invasive moon jellyfish and freeze-dried butterflies as a means of communication.

Nose-to-tail 3.0" was also one of the highlights, with dishes centred around beaver, bull testicles and reindeer tongues. And finally, a dinner was even offered for USD 495,000 - served in a balloon capsule high above the earth. The basic idea behind the Rolling Pin Convention was to bring the best and most creative minds in gastronomy and their unique ideas, dishes and philosophies to life in one magical place. Today, the Rolling Pin.Convention - after the merger with Madrid - is already the second largest food symposium in Europe, the place-to-be for the entire industry and the networking event for top German gastronomy.

An excerpt from the 2025 speaker list:

René Redzepi (inventor of New Nordic Cuisine, NOMA, Copenhagen, multiple #1 "The World's 50 Best Restaurants"), Massimo Bottura (Restaurant Osteria Francescana ***, Italy, multiple #1 "The World's 50 Best Restaurants"), Rasmus Munk (inventor of Holistic Cuisine, Restaurant Alchemist **, Denmark), Tim Raue (multi-gastronome, including. including Restaurant Tim Raue **, Berlin), Tim Mälzer (multi-restaurateur, including Bullerei, Hamburg), Heinz Reitbauer (Restaurant Steirereck ***, Vienna), Henry McGovern (Europe's largest restaurateur with over 1,500 establishments).

However, inspiration was not only to be found on the six different stages. The unique annual summit of top gastronomy was complemented by a 6,000 m² interactive expo, where the most exciting and innovative suppliers and producers presented their new products for the catering industry.

Rolling Pin Awards - The Oscars of the catering industry

In addition to the unique presentations and the 6,000 square metre interactive expo, the annual Rolling Pin Awards are an absolute must for top German gastronomy. The Rolling Pin.Awards were launched in 2005 to honour the most committed and creative personalities in gastronomy for their courage and innovative strength. The Rolling Pin.Awards are special in several respects: it is not a jury in a quiet chamber that decides who wins. Instead, this decision lies exclusively in the hands of the catering staff: they nominate their colleagues - and also vote for them themselves. As a result, the Rolling Pin. awards are now regarded as the "Oscars of the catering industry" and, with over 11,000 entries, are the largest catering industry award in Germany. The Rolling Pin.Awards are divided into the following categories: 100 Best Chefs, Top Chefs, 50 Best Sommeliers, Leaders of the Year and the special category "Top Employer of the Year".

Best Chefs Germany 2025

All employees in the catering industry were able to nominate and then vote for those people who, in their opinion, are among the best chefs in Germany and have a positive influence on the country's culinary scene through their innovative strength. On top is the "100 Best Chefs List". Tim Raue was elevated to legendary status after taking first place last year.

Top Chefs Germany 2025

This year, the "Top Chefs Germany" were honoured for the second time. The idea was born from the many nominations for the 100 Best list in previous years. The Top Chefs Germany 2025 honoured those chefs who had not yet made it into the hundred most nominated, but had received at least ten nominations. In order to promote cohesion among the Top Chefs, Rolling Pin has deliberately decided to present the list of Top Chefs in alphabetical order rather than ranked. The list of Top Chefs Germany thus represents the Next Gen of the 100 Best Chefs and at the same time shows the enormous quality, diversity, tradition and innovative strength of German gastronomy.

The 50 Best Sommeliers in Germany 2025

Inclusion in this list is one of the highest honours a sommelier can receive. At the same time, the list is a real guest booster and a great guide for all wine lovers. Anyone looking for the extraordinary is guaranteed to be in good hands with these sommeliers.

Leaders of the Year 2025

The employees of the restaurant industry have nominated those personalities who have earned the following awards due to their commitment and special achievements in their respective specialities:

• #1 of the 100 Best Chefs powered by Metro Germany: Alexander Herrmann & Tobias Bätz | Restaurant AURA by Alexander Herrman & Tobias Bätz | Wirsberg
• Lifetime Achivement: Gennaro Contaldo | Author and cookery legend | London, England
• Inspiration Chef of the Year: René Redzepi | Restaurant Noma | Copenhagen, Denmark
• Female Chef of the Year powered by Néstle Waters Germany: Rosina Ostler | Restaurant Alois - Dallmayr Fine Dining | Munich
• Patissière of the Year powered by Arla Foods : Larissa Metz | Restaurant Vendôme | Bergisch Gladbach
• Sous Chef of the Year powered by Weitblick: Maximilian Waibel | Restaurant KOMU | Munich
• Restaurateur of the Year powered by Lightspeed POS: Mischa Steigerwald | Riviera Projects | Munich
• Dishwasher of the Year powered by Winterhalter: Helga Dassinger | Garmisch-Partenkirchen Youth Hostel | Garmisch-Partenkirchen
• 100 Best Chefs Legend: Tim Raue | Restaurant Tim Raue | Berlin
• Maître of the Year: Cornelia Baumgart | Restaurant Rubens | Düsseldorf
• #1 of the 50 Best Sommeliers: Willi Schlögl | Bar Freundschaft | Berlin

Top Employer

The annual summit of the industry was rounded off by the awards for the top employers in the catering and hotel industry. Rolling Pin had conducted a large-scale survey among employees in the catering and hotel industry in advance to determine the criteria that characterise a top employer. The information from over 11,000 participants was then compared by Rolling Pin with the information from the catering businesses and hotels that had undergone a transparency audit.
The conclusion is that many employers have not yet recognised the new New Work demands of employees and that there is a big difference between expectations and actual performance.
Only companies that exceeded the required benchmarks were honoured at the Rolling Pin Convention for their corporate philosophy and commitment as Top Employers in the Catering & Hotel Industry 2025.