Born in Dresden, Germany, Torsten Michel has led the three-Michelin-star Schwarzwaldstube at Hotel Traube Tonbach since July 2017, maintaining the rating through the 2024 Guide—even after the 2020 fire and the restaurant’s reopening in April 2022.
Born in Dresden in 1977, Michel trained at the Bülow Residenz under Stefan Hermann, then joined the Schwarzwaldstube in January 2004. Sous-chef since 2007, in 2016 he joined Wohlfahrt as co-chef and in July 2017 he took over sole leadership, confirming the restaurant's three stars in the 2018 guide.
To enrich his experience, he completed internships at The Fat Duck, Noma, and L'Arnsbourg, assimilating modern techniques that he integrates with the Upper Swabian tradition of foie gras, game, and glossy sauces.
On January 5, 2020, a fire destroyed the historic restaurant; the team moved to the temporary “Traube Tonbach Temporaire,” which was again awarded three stars in the 2021 edition. With the reopening of the new Schwarzwaldstube (April 2022), the three stars of 2023 and 2024 arrived without interruption.
Recognized as Chef of the Year by Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (2019) and Gusto 19/20, Michel declares his philosophy to be “precision, simplicity, depth of flavor”: dishes such as Anjou pigeon with coffee, hazelnuts, and fermented carrots, or turbot turban with black truffle and reduced veal jus.
