It was actually a perfect symbiosis: the picturesque Schwarzenstein Castle - located near Frankfurt in Geisenheim-Johannisberg - and the two-star chef Nils Henkel, who ran the Schwarzenstein Restaurant there. The restaurant in the carefully restored Schwarzenstein Castle, built in 1873, was considered a culinary jewel, with Nils Henkel cooking at the highest level with his nature-oriented cuisine. For many, the restaurant under Henkel's management, with its menus perfected down to the smallest detail, was considered one of the best in the region. All the more surprising now came the news that Nils Henkel, voted Chef of the Year 2017 by the magazine "Der Feinschmecker", will no longer cook in the beautifully located hotel-restaurant.
According to a report in the FAZ, the top chef and his team were already terminated at the end of March. And this despite the fact that he has won several awards for his cooking and also attracted many guests to the restaurant. The news is also surprising, as an expansion of the gastronomic concept had only been announced in February: for the first time, a Schwarzenstein Lunch was offered in the castle's gourmet restaurant. In addition to the two existing menus FLORA and FAUNA, the selection was also expanded to include a midweek dinner. This did not sound at all like an imminent end for the restaurant Schwarzenstein - Nils Henkel.
For contractual reasons, Henkel himself is not allowed to give any information about the reasons for the termination. But on the part of the hotel, there should be a statement in the near future. How this will also turn out, one should already be clear: With Nils Henkel, the region has lost one of its best chefs and the gastronomic scene is poorer by a real highlight.
UPDATE: Meanwhile, the Relais & Châteaux Hotel Burg Schwarzenstein has issued a statement. According to the statement, the economic viability of the restaurant concept as well as further losses due to the corona virus were at the forefront of the decision.
Michael Teigelkamp, managing partner of Relais & Châteaux Hotel Burg Schwarzenstein explained: "The decision to part with Nils Henkel and the SCHWARZENSTEIN restaurant was not an easy one for us. We thank Mr. Henkel for three wonderful years in our house. The cooperation with him and his team was always very pleasant. He is one of the best chefs in Germany and it was also a good human fit."
The austerity measures in the economy have hit luxury gastronomy particularly hard: "An average occupancy of ten guests last year in our gourmet restaurant forced us to make this decision. With the Corona crisis and the resulting loss of sales, we are finally running out of steam," he continued.
A new concept is currently being worked on - casual, versatile and cosmopolitan will soon be the order of the day in the stylish glass pavilion with a breathtaking view over the Rhine Valley.
"We have a lot of great ideas and are in lively exchange with various consultants and chefs. When the time comes, we will introduce a new Burg Schwarzenstein experience. Until then, we will initially only open our castle restaurant from Saturday, May 16, 2020," Stephanie Teigelkamp reports on the future direction of gastronomy at Burg Schwarzenstein.
For more info on Burg Schwarzenstein, visit: https://www.burg-schwarzenstein.de/
