A Story about arriving

They are low-maintenance, robust animals that are able to romp about all year round on an alpine meadow close to the hotel, summer and winter. They almost never use their shelter. The cattle can become up to 21 years old and they will receive their upkeep from Andreas right to the end. They will not be slaughtered. The older they get, the more impressive these animals become. Andreas even bottle-raised one of the bulls. He gave him milk three times a day. “He has become so trusting, whenever I come into the stable he wants to lick me, he is like a dog,” he says.

Andreas is a chef through and through. He never wanted to become anything else. His grandma is to blame for this. “My favourite thing was to help her in the kitchen. The radio was always on in the background, and she often sang along, as grandmas do. When the wife of our first head chef then gave me a chef’s jacket with my name embroidered on it when I was eleven, there was only one thing on my mind every day after school: to be in the kitchen, the satchel got thrown into a corner straight away.” From his kitchen in the Unternberg Hof, Andreas enjoys the view out into the green countryside. It is entirely new, housed in an extension and designed completely according to his wishes. He also has the radio on.

Game is Andreas’ favourite meat, he even has his own hunting licence. “Many people are afraid of game, but it is of really wonderful quality and is the most sustainable,” he explains. “You can treat it just like good beef and it is best to buy from local hunters. There are addresses on the website of the Bavarian Hunting Association.” A saddle of venison dish with truffled potato gratin is currently the hit on his menu. A traditional Bavarian preparation with an Asian touch. Coriander, chilli and garlic set accents.

This is how Andreas prefers to cook: combining the down-to-earth and modern on one plate, but never becoming out of touch, that is important to him. “Everybody should feel comfortable here with us, ramblers, tour hikers, cyclists, holidaymakers, locals. That is why I will always also make dishes like a sausage salad or a crispy pork cutlet."

Andreas Walker is a chef, hotelier, amateur farmer, hunter, angler. He is always doing, always making. But you can see that he is having fun. “It is such a great field to work in and I am very proud of my team, without which all of this would not be possible. We are dealing with people all day and it is good to see how we can make them happy.” Andreas is happy as well. “It’s perfect the way it is,” he says. When he sometimes goes to Stuttgart to visit his family, he is glad when he goes past the Chiemsee on the motorway and sees the mountains. Andreas has arrived.