It’s flavour that defines quality | Lifestyle by V-ZUG AG

Chef and restaurateur Anton Schmaus has built a small and friendly culinary empire in the Bavarian city of Regensburg. He achieves excellence through great attention to detail.

He’s just 40 years old, yet this restaurateur already has much to offer. Bavarian chef Anton Schmaus, who describes himself as a “collector of impressions”, has built a small culinary empire with a friendly feel in the picturesque university city of Regensburg. It comprises the restaurant “Storstad”, which has 17 Gault Millau points and a Michelin star, sushi restaurant “Aska”, which also has a Michelin star, and successful gourmet delivery service “Proviant”. And on top of that, Schmaus is head chef for the German national football team.

The common thread that runs through all his ventures, says Anton Schmaus, is the “extra-special focus on our guests – we do everything we can to ensure our customers are highly satisfied.” Guests at “Storstad” will experience a skilful display of modern cuisine at its best, while every order from “Proviant” is packed so stylishly that unpacking it at home becomes a gastronomic experience in itself.

Asked to list the three things that are most important in his cooking, Anton Schmaus tells us high quality products, precise preparation, and above all flavour. “For me that’s what defines quality. Everything that is served has to taste like an Anton Schmaus dish, you should even be able to recognize it blindfolded,” says the chef. Fruity and acidic notes, for example, play a big role in defining the Schmaus flavour and make the food powerfully aromatic.

But for Anton Schmaus, the route to excellence, to creating an extraordinary culinary experience, begins very early on. He cites precision and attention to detail as key elements in creating excellence, and gives a simple and enlightening example: “Chives are one of the cheapest herbs you can get, you can grow them really easily on your balcony or in your garden. I could finely chop the chives with a sharp knife just before I serve the dish, employing great precision and care – that gives the best result. Or I could chop them in the morning, with a knife that’s not quite sharp enough, and with a bit less care. It’s a simple example, but it shows how paying attention to detail can make the difference.”

Concentrating on the little things that all add up to turn average into excellent isn’t always fun to do, says Anton Schmaus. “But it’s the finer details that matter.” The cheerful Bavarian still has more ideas for things he would like to get started in the near future – his creativity has definitely not run out. We can be sure that every new idea will follow the tried-and-tested Schmaus principles for outstanding cuisine: uncompromising constancy and tireless attention to detail. “Only by ensuring that the basics are right, with the same precision each day as the day before, can we consistently deliver high quality,” says Anton Schmaus.