Preview: Tim Mälzer vs the founders of Salt & Silver

COLOGNE. To kick off the eleventh series of Kitchen Impossible, Tim Mälzer will face off against Johannes Riffelmacher and Thomas Kosikowski on 12 April; the pair opened their restaurant “Salt & Silver” in Hamburg in 2017 after switching careers to the culinary world. The duel begins with a road trip through Portugal for the three chefs, where their paths suddenly diverge: Tim travels to La Vila Alva, whilst Jo and Cozy cook in Ericeira. Further stops include Marrakesh and La Réunion, where the chefs encounter unfamiliar culinary worlds.

Kitchen Impossible is back – and so is Tim Mälzer, who takes on two truly “cool” chaps at the start of the series: Johannes “Jo” Riffelmacher and Thomas “Cozy” Kosikowski. The pair gave up their careers in the media in 2014 and set off travelling, eventually opening their first restaurant, “Salt & Silver”, in Hamburg in 2017 as culinary newcomers. They are now firmly established on the German culinary scene and are challenging Tim to a duel on Kitchen Impossible – a challenge Tim is only too happy to accept.

The three chefs first meet in Lisbon, Portugal, for a road trip together, as this is roughly how Jo & Cozy’s shared story began over 10 years ago. But after just a short stay on the beach, their paths diverge: whilst Tim heads to the countryside to La Vila Alva, where he gets to try his hand at a traditional fish dish, Jo & Cozy try their hand at a caldeirada and a Frankenstein cake in Ericeira.

Tim is also sent by Jo & Cozy to Marrakech, where he meets an old acquaintance and is confronted with a cuisine that is completely new to him. Jo & Cozy, meanwhile, head to the idyllic La Tampon on Réunion to sample French-Creole cuisine and a local cake dessert that thoroughly spoils their mood.

In Season 6, their Hamburg restaurant was already an original location when Victoris Fuchs had to recreate the tamales with king oyster mushrooms there. Now the chefs have to get stuck in themselves. For Jo and Cozy, this episode brings things full circle. “It felt like our own Salt & Silver journey, which we were able to relive,” says Thomas Kosikowski. “That’s exactly how we travelled back then, that’s exactly how Salt & Silver came about.” Their last big trip together in true Salt & Silver style was years ago – the last one was in Italy in 2019. Kitchen Impossible offered the chance to set off together once more. “We were absolutely delighted that we were able to get Tim Mälzer into our vibe and show him our world within his programme.” Kosikowski describes the episode as “100 per cent Kitchen Impossible and 100 per cent Salt & Silver – making it 200 per cent.”