Comments from "Chef of the year 2008" (Gault Millau)
The starting point for his purist cuisine, which focuses on the intrinsic flavour of the food, is excellent and above all fresh ingredients. Aroma is provided by wild herbs from the Alps around Oberlech as well as a variety of herbs from around the world. Gourmets and connoisseurs can look forward to perfect consistency, great creativity and a diversity of dishes.

Thorsten Probost
Born on March 1973 in Geislingen, Austria
He probably picked up his love of cooking in the cradle. His mother is a good cook and his father has always liked to eat well and often. His grandparents, too, taught him about good home cooking. His grandmother worked as a cook in the Bohemian Forest and his grandfather came from the Palatinate, the German region bordering France which doubtless led to his love of French products.

After four years of primary school from 1979 to 1983 and secondary school from 1983 to 1989, it was clear to him that he wanted to be a cook. His professional career began at the Burgrestaurant Staufeneck, with the Straubinger family in Salach, Germany. Encouraged by this excellent training he cooked up a storm with teacher Rolf Straubinger to win the prestigious "Gläserner Halstuch" award from the Krombacher brewery.

After his apprenticeship at the Staufeneck (1989 to 1992) Mr. Probost wandered his way through all kinds of gastronomy from good honest home cooking to nouvelle cuisine. From 1992 to 1993 he cooked at the Hotel Sackmann in the Black Forest, 1993 to 1994 at the restaurant "Die Scheuer" in Frankfurt. From 1994 to 1996 he worked in various small restaurants in order to broaden his horizons and even helped out in a butcher's shop for a short time.
This period of his life took him abroad where he got to know other cookery techniques and philosophies.

In 1993 he completed a two-week internship in America with "Messe Stuttgart" and in 1994, also as a part of "Messe Stuttgart", he went to Finnland. In 1997 he spent three weeks exploring California's restaurant scene under the leadership of Mr Wolfgang Puck. Austrian Wolfgang Puck established one of Beverly Hills' hottest spots with his restaurant "Spago".
He has been working in Austria's top restaurants since 1996, until 2001 at Schloß Prielau in Zell am See and since then at the Burg Vital Resort in Oberlech in Arlberg.In 1999 he was named Newcomer of the Year by gourmet guide "Gault Millau".

In 2000 he was invited as guest cook to the gourmet festival in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. He made such a lasting impression there that they invited him back in 2003.

His motto for work:
"If you think you're good you've given up getting better."

Chef Probost tries to use organic ingredients wherever possible.

He also prefers a light style of cuisine with the use of herbs and vegetables. His cooking can best be described with the words "purist" and "creative".

Since 2009 he has been president of renowned chefs' association JRE (Jeunes Restaurateurs) Austria.