"Mälzer's masterclass" with Jan Hartwig starts

From 4 November 2025, VOX will be presenting the new cooking format "Mälzer's Master Class" every Tuesday at 8:15 pm. In a total of six episodes, top chef Tim Mälzer will take a hand-picked selection of twelve gastronomy professionals, trained chefs and talented self-taught chefs under his wing. His aim: to find someone who can create memorable and remarkable dishes.

In this new show, the culinary signature is in the spotlight: from 4 November 2025, Tim Mälzer will be looking for the ultimate character chef of tomorrow who stands out from the crowd in "Mälzers Meisterklasse" on VOX every Tuesday at prime time. In a total of six episodes, Tim Mälzer takes a hand-picked selection of twelve professional chefs, trained chefs and talented self-taught chefs under his wing as a mentor and coach. His goal: to find someone who creates memorable and remarkable dishes. He encourages them to develop and perfect their own personal culinary signature and make their own flavour unmistakable. Whoever achieves this most impressively wins the masterclass at the end.

The path to becoming a character chef: in each episode, Tim Mälzer shares the expertise he has accumulated over decades, takes the participants into worlds of flavour and presents them with new challenges in each episode with his unmistakable style. At the end of each episode, at least one talent must leave the masterclass after an all-important "second chance" round. When making his decision, Tim Mälzer consults the expertise of Jan Hartwig (3 Michelin stars), who makes the final decision on who can stay and who has to go. "Mälzer's masterclass is more than just a competition - it's a journey full of passion and creativity. The biggest challenge for me is to always maintain a balance and make an objective judgement despite all the emotionality," says Jan Hartwig.

In addition to prize money of 50,000 euros, the winner can expect an exclusive mentorship from Tim Mälzer himself - a prize that goes far beyond the end of the plate and opens up unique perspectives for the fulfilment of a culinary dream. To top it all off, Tim Mälzer will challenge the winner of "Mälzer's Masterclass" on "Kitchen Impossible".

From trained chefs from top gastronomy to food creators and ambitious career changers - they are all united by a great passion for cooking. They all bring their own culinary dreams with them and face the search for their culinary self.

The candidates

Alexander Högner (31):

• Has been a chef for 16 years and was immediately "shockingly in love" with the profession
• 2008 Apprenticeship as a chef at the Elbsee Restaurant
• Several positions as chef de partie in Michelin-starred restaurants (Dreizehnsinne in Huuswurz*, Hotel 7132 Vals Restaurant Silver**)
• Head chef at "die gute Botschaft" and "Bullerei" by Tim Mälzer until 2022
• Until 2025 he was head chef at the "Herzog" restaurant in Munich
• He is currently head chef at the "Bergson Kunstkraftwerk" in Munich
• For Alex, Tim was not only his boss, but also a role model in terms of passion and authenticity in the kitchen
• the time he spent with Tim had a huge impact on him and helped him to develop his own style
• he favours a modern interpretation of classic cuisine, combining tradition and emotion
• Alex describes himself as determined, emotional and a perfectionist
• Was a finalist in the "Chef of the Year" competition in 2024
• Motivation: Alex is determined to win in order to start his own business in the future. He already has a restaurant concept. With the programme and the support of his former boss Tim, he wants to develop further and take a big step towards his dream of owning his own restaurant/inn.

Andita Schirmacher (48)

• is originally from Indonesia and has lived in Germany for 26 years
• Andita discovered her passion for cooking when she moved to Germany
• Without any traditional cookery training, she acquired her skills through books and cookery courses or by talking to experts such as William Wongso
• two years ago, she founded "Anditas Culinary Inspirations" and gives cooking classes with a focus on Indonesian cuisine, her speciality
• Her strengths include her delicate work and creativity
• She attaches great importance to the fresh preparation of spice pastes and also makes many dishes vegetarian or vegan In addition to Indonesian classics, Andita's heart beats for patisserie
• She is convinced that she can win over every judge with a rendang curry - an Indonesian stew with tender beef
• Motivation: Andita's dream is to realise a culinary travel documentary through Indonesia, in which she would like to show the German public both unknown places and the fine-dine culture of Indonesia.

Christina Steindl (34)

• grew up in a family of restaurateurs and hoteliers in Kitzbühel
• 2005 Apprenticeship as a chef at a higher vocational college for tourism and the hotel industry in St. Johann/Tyrol
• Numerous positions followed, including in Hamburg, Oslo and in Aschau with Heinz Winkler
• Head chef at the Hotel Elisabeth (4-star superior) in Kirchberg since 2023
• Also self-employed as an event manager (including private dining, masterclasses, show cooking)
• A hunter since 2022, for both ecological and culinary reasons
• as a butcher's daughter, she learnt how to butcher and butcher her prey from her father
• through hunting, she particularly enjoys cooking game and offal
• a matter close to her heart: keeping forgotten Tyrolean home-style dishes alive, with a modern twist
• wants to arouse emotions with her dishes
• She enjoys working with different structures and textures and likes to go beyond her limits when doing so
• She sees her weaknesses particularly in baking biscuits
• Motivation: With the money she has won and Tim's help, the Tyrolean would like to concentrate on her independence. This would include giving up her role as an employed chef and devoting herself entirely to her private dining, masterclasses and show cooking. She is particularly hoping that Tim's experience will help her to make her self-employment profitable in the long term.

Gabriel Arendt (48)

• Not a trained chef
• grew up in his parents' hunting grounds, close connection to nature from an early age
• After school: trained as a woodworker and worked in kitchen construction; made knives and knife sheaths on the side
• was taught how to cook by his father
• was a diving instructor on Kho Tao for a while: brought the diving centre's kitchen up to "star level"
• undertakes many culinary journeys on which he boldly plays with crazy ingredients
• 2013 participation in "The Taste" (SAT.1), encouragement by Tim Mälzer, Alexander Herrmann, Lea Linster and Frank Rosin to seriously pursue his passion for culinary art
• Motivation: With Tim's support and the prize money, he would like to further expand his self-employment, which follows the concept "From living being to food". He has also been dreaming of his own TV programme for a long time, in which food is brought from the forest/stream to the plate.

Kai Birmanns (26)

• voluntarily went to a boarding school in Innsbruck at the age of 14 to complete an apprenticeship as a chef
• Stations such as at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna (commis de cuisine) and at the XO Seafoodbar in Hamburg (head of fermentation)
• most recently he was a chef at the Mast restaurant (wine bistro)
• for 2 years he has been refining and selling fish for the Oberwasser fish farm in Austria
• Kai's great passion is working with fish, he loves raw flavours and textures and his motto is often "less is more"
• He generally describes his cooking style as purist with few ingredients
• Kai prefers to cook French, fruity and fresh dishes - and likes to utilise underrated products
• His great strength is cooking with fish
• He sees making terrines and pâtés as his weakness
• He is also very interested in fermentation and sourdough
• Motivation: He dreams of opening a freshwater fish restaurant in Vienna together with his wife. In his career as a chef, he has so far failed to cook in Michelin-starred restaurants, but he hopes to gain a lot of culinary expertise through coaching from Tim Mälzer.

Luisa Jordan (29)

• 2014 - 2017 Trainee chef at Schloss Elmau in Garmisch-Patenkirchen
• 2017- 2019 Commis /Demi de Cuisine at Schloss Elmau Luce d'Oro (**)
• 2019 - 2021 Chef de Partie at Facil (**) in Berlin
• 2021 - today head chef at the family hotel Jordan's Untermühle in Köngernheim
• 2023 she also opened her own restaurant Lus Bunter Genuss in the family business
• She is a gastro child and aspires to be the 2nd generation hotel manager of Jordan's Untermühle
• She stands for fresh, feel-good cuisine and wants to combine enjoyment and health
• celebrates country cuisines from all over the world - she is particularly fond of the Orient and its intense spices
• incorporates influences from Ayurveda into her creations: focussing on the 5 elements (sweet/sour/salty/bitter/spicy)
• Freshness and crunchiness are her top priorities
• She sees her weakness in classic French cuisine, as it is not intuitive enough for her
• Motivation: Luisa loves gastronomy through and through. However, she feels she is still at the beginning of her journey and is therefore highly motivated to get as far as possible. She sees this format as a great opportunity to develop further and realise her visions. One of them is to cook up a Michelin star.

Monika Schuster (55)

• 1988 Trained as a chef at the Hotel Eisenhut (Rothenburg o.d.T.)
• is also a trained specialist, master chef and diet chef
• has already worked as a manager in various restaurants and delicatessens
• has been a self-employed food stylist, cookery book author and owner of "Einmacherei", a gourmet shop in Munich, since 1996
• worked closely with Eckart Witzigmann for ten years
• Monika's particular passion is vegetables - for her, working with vegetables is "probably the most challenging and creative way to combine flavour and aesthetics"
• She attaches particular importance to an eye-catching interplay of different colours on the plate
• she feels at home in German and Italian cuisine and describes her cooking style as a mixture of classic and elegant
• she is always on the lookout for new culinary challenges, can conjure up something out of anything, reacts at lightning speed and is only satisfied with the best in the kitchen
• Motivation: Monika dreams of having her own cooking show one day, which mainly focuses on her favourite topic, vegetables.

Philipp Zitterbart (36)

• 2004 Apprenticeship at the Hotel Landgasthof Mattenhaus in Bad Waldsee
• Deputy chef of the German Armed Forces in Laupheim until 2014
• 2014 he started his own business with his food truck "Roll 'n Soul"
• 2016 to 2020 chef at "Salt and Silver" and at the restaurant "Haebel", Hamburg
• Currently: content creator and presenter on Instagram, TikTok and chekoch.de
• Philipp's cuisine stands for variety and crossing culinary boundaries
• In culinary terms, he particularly likes to go in the direction of East African, French and German cuisine, although Mediterranean cuisine is his comfort zone
• Philipp sees his strength in meat preparation and improvisation, while he prefers to steer clear of patisserie and fish filleting
• In general, he loves simple food that impresses with its flavour and doesn't need much - "but he can do fancy too", he says.
• Motivation: Philipp secretly wants to run a restaurant again that exactly matches his culinary style. He already made his first attempt in this direction in 2020. He also dreams of publishing his own cookbook - "but not just any old cookbook", he says. It should go far beyond the usual recipes and be special à la Philipp. His aim is to tell a personal story that reflects his culinary experiences and his unique style. He not only wants to provide inspiration, but also pass on his passion and authenticity to readers.

Sunil Prajapati (33)

• is originally from Nepal and came to Germany in 2015 to study International Business
• In 2016, he decided to train as a chef
• Stations afterwards:
• 2020 - 6 months at Restaurant Frantzén ***, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2020 - Restaurant Adam Abin, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2021-2023 - Posthotel Alexander Herrmann, Wirsberg, Germany
• 2023-2024- Goose Gourmet, Frankfurt
• Currently self-employed as a private chef
• his signature is characterised by Nepalese, European, French and Asian crossover dishes
• works with little acidity, which makes his dishes particularly savoury
• He sees speed in the kitchen, sauces and plating as his strengths
• His weaknesses lie in turning vegetables, particularly fine chopping and a certain impatience when things don't go as planned
• Motivation: He has long dreamed of having his own café or bistro with a lunch menu. He would like to offer a mixture of Nepalese, European and French cuisine there. He is already saving for this dream and the prize money would be a big step in the right direction. Mälzer's support would be a unique opportunity to finally turn his dream into reality.

Serena Loddo (33)

• Serena is originally from Sardinia and runs her own pasta factory, the first in Limburg
• Serena loves her Sardinian homeland and travels to Sardinia every year to harvest almonds
• She wants to get people excited about Italian cuisine and is working on cookery sets to convey the food culture of her homeland and create family time together.
• In 2025, she published her own cookbook "Come a casa"
• Motivation: With Tim's support, she hopes to develop her cooking skills, i.e. to acquire some of what she would have learnt in a cookery course. In the long term, she can imagine opening her own cookery school. She also needs his expertise in marketing the online concept, as she would like to sell her pasta online. She would also like to donate part of the prize money to an organisation in Sardinia that cares for stray animals.

Clara Hunger (30)

• first cooking experience from her grandmother
• initially wanted to study, but then decided in favour of cooking because it "simply makes her happy"
• 2016: Apprenticeship with Tim Mälzer at the "Bullerei" (Hamburg)
• Further stations in Germany and Vienna, including at Paul Ivić's TIAN (* + green *)
• Head chef at the XO Seafood Bar (Hamburg) with Fabio Haebel
• Sous-chef at Max Strohe's Michelin-starred restaurant Tulus Lotrek (*) in Berlin for 2 years
• Focus on creative, artisanal, sophisticated cuisine with international influences
• Combination of tradition and innovation in the culinary arts
• Likes Levante cuisine, spiciness and Italian specialities from the heart
• Max Strohe says of her "she cooks like a nonna", and her various cooking stations have given her a wide range of expertise, from meat to vegan to fish
• One of her strengths is working under stress, even in large companies she keeps her nerve and really blossoms "with positive stress"
• Her weaknesses include very detailed recipe-based cooking and fine plating
• Motivation: Clara wants to fulfil her dream of owning her own restaurant - fine dining at the bar combined with small dishes that can be shared. But that's not all: she also wants to set up a training business. But: away with the old, rigid rules and hierarchies - instead create a place where trainees feel really comfortable and work together as equals. A restaurant that makes a difference in culinary and human terms!

Gina Diller (42)

• Trained hotel manager & founder of the "Perfectory" event agency
• Gina opened a bistro together with a friend, where she initially cooked once a week
• The bistro eventually developed into a catering business
• by the end of 2023, Gina and her catering company were supplying major clients such as Porsche, Mercedes and private jets
• Gina's culinary focus is on starters, finger food and fine dine street food
• Her signature dish is green ceviche with apple and fennel, or a classic veggie lasagne
• She clearly sees her strength in arranging and utilising regional ingredients to create unusual combinations
• She sees her weakness in preparing poultry
• improvising is no problem for her; she also quickly put together a 7-course menu for spontaneous catering bookings for private jets
• Motivation: Gina dreams of restarting her catering business in a location with a large kitchen. She wants to develop a concept that revolutionises finger food - innovative, modern catering. She would like to specialise in vegan and vegetarian dishes, with an accompanying upscale bistro where she can put her self-taught cooking skills into practice. At the same time, she would like to improve her skills as an unskilled chef through Tim's coaching in order to reach more people and realise her vision.

Igor Kazakov (26)

• Even as a second-grader, Igor knew he wanted to become a chef, inspired by his grandfather, who was also a chef.
• did a kitchen internship in the 8th grade
• 2014 - 2017 Trained as a chef at the Drexler restaurant in Freiburg im Breisgau
• afterwards: Chef Pâtisserie at Douce Steiner & Sous Chef at Yannick Stockhausen in Berlin
• currently head chef at Restaurant Aerde in Berlin, a position he achieved at the age of 24
• previously worked in various Michelin-starred restaurants, but did not find the concept there suitable for him
• it is particularly important to him to emphasise one component and to work very product-oriented
• Strengths: Fish and meat, emphasising vegetables
• Weakness: Molecular cuisine, baking bread
• Signature dish: Venison tartare with trout cream
• Motivation: Igor is particularly fascinated by the future of the industry, which is why he is intensively involved with innovative concepts and developments. He sees taking part in the show not only as a great opportunity to try himself out in front of the camera, but also - and this is the most important motivation for him - as a valuable step towards his big dream of one day opening his own restaurant near the sea - ideally with Tim's support and expertise.

Jonas Straube (34)

• trained chef from the Sauerland region - completed his training at Landgasthof Schütte
• after working in Switzerland and Mallorca, has now been in Hamburg for 12 years
• has worked his way through all stations at the "East Cosmos" in Hamburg and has risen to head chef
• since 2022 head chef and later managing director at the restaurant "Der Player" in Hamburg
• Jonas has been in the catering industry for 17 years, but "Der Player" is by far his highlight so far, he says.
• Jonas' cooking style: classic, French, Asian - he likes to cook dishes that are time-consuming
• Strength: Aromatics & Asia, his cuisine generally stands for "intense flavours right down to the tips of your hair"
• Signature dish: Asian broth + fish glazed with cinnamon, butter and ginger
• Motivation: Jonas dreams of setting up his own snack bar where he presents traditional dishes in a new, creative way. The aim is to prepare classic dishes in an appealing and innovative way. He is also planning 1-2 daily specials, such as changing stews or soups, in order to integrate variety and seasonal ingredients.

Tobias Meier (25)

• Scholarship holder of the Uccelin Foundation, which was set up by Andreas and Sarah Caminada and sends young chefs around the world for 5 months
• Stations (as part of the scholarship): "Cheval Blanc" (***) Basel (Peter Knogl), currently: "Sühring" (**) Bangkok, next stop: "Blue Hill" (**) New York (Dan Barber)
• Tobias completed his very thorough training at Wirtshaus Kalteneck (Albachingen, until 2017), followed by 1.5 years at bayerischer Hof (Jan Hartwig)
• He then cooked for Tim Raue for three years and worked his way up to Junior Sous Chef
• He also ran his pop-up restaurant in the Maldives for four months
• Tobias particularly enjoys working with Japanese products as well as fish and shellfish, but also meat
• He prefers to cook light cuisine with creamy, intense flavours and loves to play with acids
• Tobias believes he is still in the process of developing his own culinary signature, but describes his style as being to the point and not classic
• His focus is clearly on Michelin-starred cuisine
• Tobias' strengths lie in confit and braising as well as patisserie; however, he quickly becomes impatient with smaller jobs
• Motivation: Tobias dreams of becoming self-employed. He would like to open two restaurants in his home region to "give something back to his homeland". He has come up with a very special concept in which he can combine his cooking expertise: Two separate restaurants connected by a kitchen. On the one hand, a "brutally honest" pub, on the other a gourmet restaurant - with the aim of gaining a star. He also wants to be able to offer young up-and-coming chefs a diverse training centre.