Two Michelin stars and five toques from Gault & Millau - the Horvath restaurant in the heart of Kreuzberg definitely has nothing to hide. Emancipated vegetable cuisine, unconventional, accentuated by a variety of flavors and textures. Head chef Sebastian Frank comes from Austria himself and likes to incorporate his origins into his creations. Find out more in the following interview.Who are you?My name is Sebastian Frank, Headchef & Owner of 2-Michelin Star Restaurant Horváth in Kreuzberg, Berlin.‍

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When did you discover your passion for cooking, how did you know you wanted to take this path?

‍When I was 14, I was quite fed up in the public school system, and I felt like I wanted to do something more physical, working with my hands, and started an apprenticeship at this young age. I never looked back from there!

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Cooking reflects my emotions and memories. I now focus entirely on vegetable-based cuisine

What does cooking mean to you?‍

Cooking for me is an expression of emotion and transmitting a good feeling. A lot of my dishes are based on memories and experiences mostly from my childhood, and I try to put these positive emotions on a plate with my dishes. I try to replicate the good feeling food gave me when I was younger, and pass it on to as many people as possible.

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‍What has been the most transformative experience in your journey as a chef?

‍After rebuilding the restaurant after the Corona lockdown in Germany, we reopened after a long absence. We picked up the Menu quite similarly to what it was before, and at that time we were still cooking with meat and fish. However, after weeks of having a course with Sea Trout, I got bored by serving the fish the same way day in and day out. I did not want to serve meat or fish and simply denature proteins every day. I felt like it was a task I could teach to a monkey! Since then, I realized I no longer wanted to serve physical pieces of meat or fish anymore and censor myself solely to vegetables. This was a huge turning point in my career and the start of a different cooking philosophy.

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Which inspirations do you use for new dishes, does it happen naturally or do you have any specific activities that help you with getting creative?
I love gardening and take a lot of inspiration from nature. I spend every morning picking greens from my garden for the restaurant, and apart from that, eating things or moments of enjoying food that remind me of my childhood can be huge trigger points to awaken a memory of a moment or a dish that can inspire the creation of a new menu item.
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How would you describe your cuisine?
Reduced, focused, and individual.

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How do you incorporate sustainable practices into your work and vision for the future?
Since we do not work with luxury products at restaurant Horváth, everything comes either from Germany or Austria. I only cook with ingredients I was socialized with growing up, and so the ingredients are very simple and local. No olive oil, no caviar etc. Furthermore, we place a lot of value on our drinks pairing and many ingredients that we might not be able to completely use in the restaurant we are then able to let flow into our alcohol-free drinks pairing.

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How do you see the food scene evolving, and what exciting developments are you noticing?
Obviously more and more chefs becoming creative with vegetables is a super exciting time. I look forward to future exchanges, and I think that it will be more and more important topics that will challenge many classically trained chefs. I think we are witnessing a generational shift not only in the kitchen staff, but in the guests, and it will be challenging and exciting to see how many chefs will be able to reinvent their culinary identities and fit them to the Zeitgeist.

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