The Munich-based chef discusses starting in the kitchen as a toddler, his time in the army and the importance of teamwork
Jan Hartwig has spent his career reaching for the stars. Just six months after joining Atelier at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich in 2014, the restaurant received its first Michelin star. The second – and coveted third – followed. The city hadn’t seen the likes of it since the 90s with Aubergine by Eckart Witzigmann.
In May 2022, Chef Hartwig opened the eponymous Restaurant Jan and did it all over again, making it onto the extended list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants and earning three Michelin stars just six months after opening. As Hartwig started in the ‘laboratory of love’ (what he affectionately calls the kitchen) at just four years old, perhaps it was always meant to be. He takes 50 Best back to where it all began.
When did you realise you wanted to be a chef?
Pretty early on. My father is a chef too, so I helped out in the kitchen as a young child. My parents thought it was important to eat together as a family – and always had friends over. At celebratory lunches and dinners, I’d ask: ‘What can I do? Can I help you?’ and my father showed me what to do. When I was four, I was cutting tomatoes, peeling potatoes, washing salads…
Jan Hartwig was inspired by his father to become a chef
Did your father convince you to become a chef?
Never, and that's the reason why I love it. My parents told me the hospitality industry was wonderful and that it was a lot of work. They said, ‘Think seriously if you want to do it,’ but never told me I had to follow that path.
How has your career progressed?
After I finished school at 18, I started an apprenticeship. In Germany, you go to a restaurant and learn the job from the bottom up. In school they teach you how to harvest courgettes, make dough or create simple dishes. But what you don’t learn is how to handle service, how to deal with stressful situations – any of the practical things.
I joined a great restaurant with a nice system – there were two restaurants in one. We had a big room with a bar, which opened for breakfast and lunch. And we had a fine dining restaurant next door where I learned how to make chocolate pralines, pasta, cook classic dishes like wienerschnitzel, make a great risotto and ice cream, bake tarts and cakes… and then after three years, I had to go to the army, which was mandatory in Germany.
How was your time in the army?
It was nine months in total, but after six months, when people specialised, I ended up in the kitchen. I asked for it, but it’s not guaranteed. After that, in 2007, I started working at restaurant Aqua in the Ritz-Carlton in Wolfsburg. I was a sous chef when it was awarded three Michelin stars and was listed in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010 for the first time. In 2014, I joined the French restaurant Atelier in Munich as executive chef, and the restaurant won two Michelin stars.
Hartwig opened Restaurant Jan in Munich in May 2022
How did you open Restaurant Jan?
I wanted my own place and I was running a pop-up restaurant to build up the concept first. I had to find the right location and discovered the right place on my birthday – a great present – so it opened at the end of October 2022. With Restaurant Jan, I want to play with the stories of our culinary history. I use the best ingredients and want to always serve delicious dishes. We have an open kitchen, so the chefs present the dishes at the tables along with the waiters.
What makes Restaurant Jan stand out?
The kitchen is like a football team – nobody can win alone, so the team is incredibly important. There are 12 of us in the kitchen and eight in service, so 20 in total, plus accountants and human resources, then most of the admin work is done by my wife. You have to train people well, but you also have to treat them well. If you want the team to follow you, you have to be a good leader. You need to believe in them, trust in them, and feel comfortable that they can do the job. I want to run a restaurant that can exist without one leader. It can’t rely on just one person.
Does being an award-winning restaurant put more pressure on you?
It's motivation and positive stress. I like stress because, without it, I'm not getting out of bed. I need the personal pressure to kick my own ass. If you get nice achievements and awards, it's like a certificate that you are doing well, and it motivates me.
Hartwig finds inspiration while travelling and talking to other chefs
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! When I travel, I love going to markets in different countries to see and try vegetables that aren’t available in Germany, although I don’t need to put exotic fruits on my menu – I use what is available in the country like strawberries, blueberries and cherries. I also find inspiration during every conversation I have with suppliers, or when speaking to guests at the restaurant. It opens my mind. The most inspiring thing of all is to keep in touch with other chefs – you can learn so much from people by looking at how they work.
How important is sustainability to you?
It is super important! We have a responsibility to other people and nature. It’s an ongoing process you need to constantly work on. We do still use some products which arrive by aeroplane – but it’s a process. You have to learn, understand and keep doing the work. We are reducing plastic in the kitchen and want to use the whole animal or fish. We created a dish with arctic char – we use the bones and head for stock, brine and poach the fillet, then with the liver, we make a mousse. We also use the fins, head and eyes.
Do you have any mottos you live by?
It’s not really a motto, but my parents said: ‘You can be whatever you want, but you have to work for it.’ Nobody gives you a present. I believe in my skills, but it's also important to know what your weaknesses are and work on them. Mistakes happen. Humans make mistakes, but don't let the guest know. Like Daniel Humm said [at #50BestTalks]: ‘Make it nice, or make it twice.’
Watch the video featuring chef Jan Hartwig on his tour of Istria, Croatia.
