Chef Markus Fasser (pictured on the left with his wife Charlotte), former Formula One chef and currently head chef at Golfino Restaurant in Austria, chats to The Yum List about life behind the scenes.
What do you do and how did you get into the industry?
I got into this industry by choice. I love cooking, so I took many years of cooking courses and apprenticeships in many restaurants. Now, I am a chef and owner of Golfino.
Share with us an interesting story from behind the scenes.
Interesting for me is exploring new menus or learning a new trick to produce the food I already have.
What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
Best: the satisfying face of our customers, outstanding feedback after all the hard work and learning
Worst: Lack of time in planning which results in bad planning and screw-ups
What’s your favourite meal?
If I could eat something every day and not get bored, it would be European spicy rice or noodles because it is not too spicy to have every day and it is nice. I like the taste. No specific brand in particular.
What’s one of the craziest things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
Once my apron caught on fire! When I looked down, my chef’s hat was caught on fire as well. I smacked the hat, and it went straight to the stove – adding spices to my cooked food (wink wink).
The perfect day off would be…
No work to think about and some nice rock climbing on actual rocks.
A day in the life of a chef is…
I wake up at 7.30 am in the morning and have a coffee. At 8.30am I will be at Golfino. Get the planning done by calling suppliers to get ingredients. Then, I start cooking. I will have a two-hour break in the afternoon, between 3 pm – 5 pm. Start operating at 5 pm, getting ready for the evening. When my day ends, I have a glass of wine with my wife.
What do you do for fun?
Cross-country skiing, hiking, walking, climbing.
What’s something you’d like guests to know about Golfino?
We prepare everything fresh, please understand we need time to make it good.
I like to cook what I like to eat. I hope customers allow me to surprise them a little bit sometimes.
What’s your view on the restaurant scene in Lermoos?
It is developing slowly. There are off-seasons, of course, but it is doing well.
I do think we need an authentic Asian food restaurant there to spice up the place!
What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?
We have a winter’s menu coming up. I am thinking about a New Year’s Eve menu as well. It is a big thing and I hope to surprise our customers. I just hired a new chef, so I am looking forward to working with him on more interesting and fantastic menus for my customers.
Check out Restaurant Golfino here.
Find more interviews with people in the food and beverage industry here.
I’m the opposite! I love stuff that is spicy, some like it hot!
I agree with suituapui, I also like spicy. Cheers Diane
I can imagine the scene when the chef’s apron and hat caught fire!
Wow! Unbelievable views of this restaurant.