He eventually ended up in Mexico City for the offshoot of a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant. "That was a crazy project - just getting the goods for the Italian kitchen there!" Despite all the adversities, my time there was very enriching. "It was there that I really realised how well off we are. Before we could process the food in Mexico, we had to soak it in an iodine solution to remove all the pollutants due to the enormous environmental pollution. That really shaped me and my approach to the environment and food."
After his return to Germany, he took a job in Munich - and from there it was not far to Aying. Respect for the product, discipline and teamwork - these are the cornerstones that are most important to him in his work at the Brauereigasthof Hotel Aying. "We get some of the vegetables from our own garden. When you see how long it takes for a tomato or cucumber to grow, you think twice about how much you cut away."
Incidentally, he has a special relationship with Brussels sprouts: "I hated it when I was a child. At some point I ate an extremely good Brussels sprout. And since then, I've always said: It always depends on the preparation. Things that don't taste good have probably not been prepared properly."
But then he does think of one exception: "Liquorice. I think even I reach my limits with liquorice." To all liquorice lovers: Tobias Franz is always open to new suggestions!
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