"I can't take it anymore. Starred dining is like racing in formula 1. You always must be at the top; you are not allowed to show any weakness. I simply cannot take on these obligations anymore." This is how Vincent Moissonnier announced the closure of the eponymous restaurant, a Two MICHELIN-Starred restaurant in Cologne.
The news
It was 1997 when Vincent and Liliane Moissonnier received their first MICHELIN Star, 2007 when the second came for the restaurant in Cologne's Agnesviertel district that bears their name. From the founding to today, no less than 36 years of success. "It was supposed to be a small French-style bistro. Then he came on board: a young chef originally from the south of France," the owners recall about Eric Monchon, an accomplice in their adventure.
@Dr. Henrik Forsat
All three will be there on June 30, welcoming guests for the last time before the restaurant's final closure, as announced in an open letter. "After so many years of self-sacrifice and great gastronomic performances, after 630 missed Cologne team games, countless movie premieres, and missed birthdays among friends and family, after four James Bonds and three German chancellors, the time has come."
@DW Lifestyle Koeln
It is not retirement in the tropics, however, that the couple has in mind, who indeed plan to continue running the Weinladen wine shop, also located in Cologne. "We will change, but we will stay with you," they promise. On the other hand, we will have to wait until August to know Monchon's intentions.
The motivations are clear. "I can't take it anymore,” Vincent confessed. “Starred dining is like racing in formula 1. You always must be at the top; you are not allowed to show any weakness. I simply cannot take on these obligations anymore." After the pandemic closures, the Moissonnier was in fact virtually always sold out. Bigger than the pandemic, it seems, were the twelve-hour workdays, the lack of manpower, and the continuous pressure.
Source: General Anzeiger
Photo of the chef on the cover: @DPA Web
