New head chef at Donnersmarkt Restaurant

VIENNA. Sustainable, regional and predominantly plant-based menus created from vegetables, herbs, flowers and cheese - everything that the diversity of the Austrian Alps has to offer forms the centrepiece of the new kitchen philosophy at Almanac Palais Vienna under the direction of top Austrian chef Albrecht Seltmann. From now on, he will be at the helm of the Donnersmarkt restaurant in the Almanac Palais Vienna. Here, he combines traditional Austrian cuisine with an innovative, modern approach, thus rewriting the menu in a completely new way.

Albrecht Seltmann was born into the world of cookery. Growing up in a family with a passion for cooking, he prepared potato dumplings with his father on Sundays as a child - a tradition that still grounds him today. Although he began studying philosophy, his true passion quickly drew him back into the kitchen. After training as a chef in Vienna, he was drawn to the wide world, from Prague to Copenhagen to Berlin, Portugal and finally on a cruise ship. He returned to Vienna in 2020 and gained experience in renowned restaurants such as Tian, Vienna's first purely vegetarian Michelin-starred restaurant. His time there shaped his enthusiasm for sustainable, plant-based cuisine, which became deeply rooted in the rest of his career. Honoured with numerous awards, including the Hilton Worldwide F&B Masters Award 2015, he cemented his reputation as a creative, innovative mind.

As Head of Food Innovation at Ludwig & Adele, Albrecht focussed on developing sustainable, new dishes before joining the team at Almanac Palais Vienna in September. Here, at the Donnersmarkt restaurant, he has adopted the vision of serving Alpine plant-forward cuisine - a modern interpretation of Austrian tradition. Vegetables, herbs, flowers and cheese from the region are the main protagonists of his menus, while meat and fish are secondary. In the long term, Albrecht wants to use only Austrian ingredients and even develop fermented alternatives to coffee and chocolate. "The Viennese gastronomy scene is truly unique. On the one hand, there are the traditional aspects and on the other, there is a growing movement towards innovative, local and sustainable cuisine. I hope that the Donnersmarkt restaurant will become a sought-after destination for its authentic culinary concept and its focus on exceptional, high-quality, local, plant-based and sustainable food," says Albrecht Seltmann.