The Steirereck restaurant in Vienna's central park has been one of the most important gastronomic institutions in Austria for several decades. Heinz Reitbauer Snr opened the restaurant in 1970 as a simple inn and then transformed it bit-by-bit over the years into a sophisticated top restaurant. Four Gault Millau toques and two Michelin stars demonstrate that concentrating on the highest pleasure has paid off.

For Heinz Reitbauer Jnr there were only ever two professions under consideration: he wanted to be an architect or a chef. Ultimately, he chose cooking and spent his formative years in his father's restaurant and under Karl and Rudi Obauer who have both been awarded Gault Millau toques. The Michelin-star chef is still profiting today from the grounding the brothers gave to the young Reitbauer. Periods followed with Alain Chapel in Lyon and Anton Mosimann in London.

From 1996 to 2005, Heinz Reitbauer developed the Wirtshaus Steirereck am Pogusch. The second operation of the family company received two toques in its very first year. That hasn't changed to this day. The special charm of the Wirtshaus am Pogusch lies in the surrounding countryside and the majority of the products used in Vienna also come from Styria. Heinz Reitbauer moved to the Wiener Steirereck six years ago and his creativity now has free reign in Vienna's central park. The star chef's dishes are shaped by seasonality and a persistent focus on the fundamentals. You can also detect the unconditional appreciation of every product and a penchant for vegetarian cuisine.

Heinz Reitbauer combines Austria's great dining culture with refined hospitality and distinctive creations. He will be presenting a few of his ground-breaking dishes to the German and international public at the CHEF-SACHE 2011. 

Steirereck im Stadtpark
Am Heumarkt 2A/Im Stadtpark - 1030 Wien - Austria
phone: 0043 (1)713-3168 - fax: 0043 (1)713-31682
e-mail: steirereck@relaischateaux.com

Visit Heinz Reitbauer at the Steirereck: www.steirereck.at

More on Heinz Reitbauer in Port Culinaire No. Seventeen.