Leutasch eats vegan: Florian Feckl's creative cuisine

To my delight, Florian has invited me into his kitchen. I am particularly pleased because I bring a very special curiosity with me on this visit. Vegan in Tyrol? Can that work? In conversation, Florian told me what brought him to this plan.

The decision to give up meat did not come overnight, of course. Florian, who originally comes from the Stuttgart area, completed "the classic cooking apprenticeship, with meat, fish and all the trimmings." This was followed by several years in renowned top restaurants, including a starred restaurant in Munich. There, meat en masse landed on the plates every day. Although he wouldn't want to miss the great experience, Florian realized for himself: "It's all just too much!"

His wife Franziska was then the driving factor for him to discover vegetarian cuisine more and more. At her request, he engaged in it and thus also chose his next job. In the restaurant Tian in Munich, he cooked vegetarian food and also took courses and advanced training. After two years, it was time for a new change. Just at the right time, he heard that "das Aufatmen" was looking for a new chef. An appointment was quickly made and Florian and his wife traveled to Tyrol to meet with the Pfeiffer family of hoteliers."

My wife's heart immediately leapt when they said we could move to Tyrol!" laughs Florian. He was not averse to the idea either. When we first met, it was immediately clear: Florian and the Aufatmen fit like a glove!

The move to their new home was not difficult for Florian and his family. "In the past, when I was on vacation in Tyrol, I felt a little depressed by the mountains," Florian recalls. "Today, I feel strengthened by them." He, his wife and young daughter now enjoy them to the fullest: Before work and on days off, they ride their e-bikes in the Karwendel or go for walks along the Isar meadows. In winter, they are already looking forward to cross-country skiing and skiing. "Nature and our time together in the mountains is precious for our little family!"

Florian has been a permanent part of the hotel's kitchen since May 2019. He enjoys full freedom here to develop his creativity. This is how dishes that surprise are created. Florian strives to always conjure up something new on the table. He is constantly creating new dishes - as with so many things in life, sometimes they work great, sometimes not so great. Marillenknödl, the favorite dish of many Tyroleans, for example, have worked out perfectly for him as a vegan version. "I prefer to keep my hands off other dishes," says Florian, telling me with a smile about failed attempts at Kaspressknödl. "Some things you don't have to imitate". He's right about that, because there are just too many recipes in his cooking repertoire that are heavenly good without being a copy.