Thomas Schanz is the chef-patron of schanz.restaurant. in Piesport, Germany, awarded three Michelin stars in March 2022 with a cuisine of rigorous elegance that weaves French technique, German flavors, and the wine terroir of the Mosel.
Born on 18 February 1980 in Trier, Schanz grew up in his parents’ guesthouse-winery, surrounded by grape must and country cooking. After training at Hotel Traube Tonbach in Baiersbronn (1999-2002), he moved to the Altes Kelterhaus in Wintrich and the three-star Gästehaus Erfort in Saarbrücken, absorbing Klaus Erfort’s aromatic minimalism.
From 2005 to 2011 he served as sous-chef at the Waldhotel Sonnora under Helmut Thieltges, perfecting glossy stocks and millimetric reductions. In August 2011 he returned to Piesport and turned the family inn into schanz.restaurant.hotel: 28 seats, a bright dining room overlooking the steep vineyards and an open kitchen where dishes such as langoustine cured in smoked dashi, celeriac risotto and suckling lamb with Pinot-noir jus balance French classicism and German finesse. The first Michelin star followed in 2012, the second in 2015, and on 11 March 2022 the Michelin Guide Germany granted the coveted third, making him the country’s ninth three-star chef.
The Gault & Millau 2021 guide (published November 2020) named him Koch des Jahres—Chef of the Year—praising the “crystalline precision” of his flavours. Schanz summarises his style as “elegance without ornament”: puffed fish skins, feather-light sauces and desserts calibrated to the acidity of Mosel Riesling. The wine list, curated with his brother Stephan, features more than 1 200 Rieslings grown on slate soils.
International attention keeps rising: the Restaurant Ikarus – Hangar-7 in Salzburg has announced him as its guest chef for October 2024, where he will present a Moselle-focused tasting menu in the renowned series led by Martin Klein and Eckart Witzigmann.
