Passion in perfection: that is three-star chef Juan Amador. Since autumn 2017 he has been living his dream at his gourmet restaurant "Amador" in Vienna. He stands for minimalist cuisine in a modern guise, built on Austrian produce.
His trademarks are the bushy eyebrows and that slightly challenging look he likes to put on for frontal portrait photos. He seems edgy, like a man who has seen and experienced a lot. And a blink later you feel the warmth and passion that define him as a chef. Juan Amador is a perfectionist through and through. At "Amadors Wirtshaus & Greißlerei" in Vienna he has created a place where it's all about enjoying the three-star chef's dishes in a relaxed, exuberant atmosphere and spending an unforgettable evening. "I'm not interested in serving intellectually demanding dishes, but something that stirs emotions. Austrian produce is a wonderful basis for that," says Juan Amador, who was born in 1968 in the Swabian town of Waiblingen to Catalan-Andalusian parents.
Juan Amador completed his apprenticeship from 1985 to 1988 at the Gasthof "Lamm" in Weinstadt, followed by positions in Munich-Grünwald and the Black Forest. He got his first sous-chef job at the "Hotel Waldhorn" in Ravensburg under the highly renowned Albert Bouley. At 25 he received his first Michelin star at the "Restaurant Petersilie" in Lüdenscheid. And despite many moves between very different kitchens, he usually cooked his way to a star within a few months. In 2002 he earned two stars for the first time, and with the opening of his first own restaurant he reached two and then three stars just two and three years after launch. Many like to talk about molecular cuisine when it comes to Juan Amador. He himself doesn't like the term, because by his definition it is merely a modern evolution of various techniques and a new interpretation of traditional dishes. From a down-to-earth dish like blood sausage with sauerkraut he conjures a blood sausage cream and a sauerkraut cream, served with bacon-wrapped pikeperch and a sauerkraut butter. "That's not hocus-pocus, that's cooking," he says with a smile.
And because Juan Amador leaves nothing to chance in his kitchen, he has developed pans, grills and pots that meet his standards in collaboration with physicist Dr. Christoph Stecher. "The secret is cookware that is light yet exceptionally sturdy. Plus a perfect new non-stick coating without Teflon, where nothing sticks and no unhealthy substances are involved," explains Dr. Christoph Stecher. That's why Juan Amador uses only his own pans at his gourmet restaurant in Vienna, so he can present his guests with the best possible result.
"And it supports my wish for regionality. While most cookware comes from China, these pans are produced in Wilhelmshaven. That's quality I can rely on 100 percent."
Juan Amador, three-star chef
He simply knows what he wants and puts his wishes into practice without compromise. A bon vivant with precise ideas.
Juan Amador cooks for "Finesse":
Iced beurre blanc with caviar, oysters and hazelnut
"Tree frog" – carabinero, snail and parsley
Miéral pigeon with coconut, mango and curry