At Quellenhof Gourmetstube 1897 (St. Martin in Passeier / San Martino in Passiria), Michael Mayr leads a cuisine rooted in the Passeier Valley and opened up to international techniques and inspirations, summed up in the motto “Passeier meets the World”. Local sourcing, the resort’s garden, foraging, and seasonality shape the experience. The restaurant holds one Michelin star (MICHELIN Guide Italy 2026).
Trained between Tyrol and the Alpine region, Michael Mayr began his career in Achenkirch and continued in Austria in five-star hotels and top-level kitchens, refining both technique and brigade discipline, including a formative experience alongside Walter Eselböck at Taubenkobel; in 2002 he joined Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier in the Passeier Valley and, year after year, built a leadership role that today spans several culinary formats within the resort—from the main hotel kitchens to the bistro, from the steak restaurant to the Sky Restaurant Teppanyaki—culminating in the fine-dining identity of Quellenhof Gourmetstube 1897, which has operated as the resort’s gourmet address under his direction since 2017, in close synergy with maître and sommelier Matteo Lattanzi; in November 2025 the restaurant received its first Michelin star with the MICHELIN Guide Italy 2026, and at the core of Mayr’s identity is an international concept firmly anchored to his valley: “Back to the Roots” as the starting point and “Passeier meets the World” as the horizon—meaning a cuisine that elevates the seasonality and supply chain of the Passeier Valley and South Tyrol, in collaboration with local farmers and producers, while staying open to ideas, techniques, and references from around the world; the menu begins with the territory itself, drawing from the resort’s garden and also from the surrounding forests through foraging (including mushrooms and spruce tips, used in preparations that enrich sauces and stocks), paired with carefully selected meats approached with a nose-to-tail mindset and fresh fish sourced through local partners, while education remains a central chapter: leading a large brigade, he invests in young professionals and apprentices, and in 2020 the SKV – Südtiroler Köcheverband awarded him “Trainer of the Year”, also recognising Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier as “Training Company of the Year”.
