I started my training as a chef in Rodewisch, Germany, in the late 90s. My mom signed me up because I had no idea what to do after dropping out of school. At first, I didn’t find much joy in the job, to be honest. In my first year of training, I became a vegetarian, and all my teachers urged me to quit, saying there was no future for a chef without an interest in cooking meat.
Despite the challenges, I completed my training, but as they predicted, there were limited opportunities to cook vegetarian cuisine anywhere in Germany. I worked in skate shops and supermarkets and catered hardcore shows on the weekends. It wasn’t until 2008 that I landed my first job at one of the first vegan restaurants in Europe, Zerwirk, in Munich.
With almost no CV, I faked one and secured a position as head chef there. Although I didn’t do a fantastic job, I was fast and eager to learn. After Zerwirk closed, the company that owned it brought me to London. I stayed there for a year before moving to Brighton, and from there, I worked at Viajante, Noma, and The Fat Duck. I was hooked on the discipline and speed of those kitchens.
Later, I ran a vegetarian restaurant in Munich for five years and then a café in Leipzig for three years. In 2023, I opened my own restaurant in Halle called @june.halle.
