Chef Gutenbrunner has been ahead of his time since the tender age of 14, when he enrolled in a professional hotel and restaurant school near his small village on the Danube River.

Earning his degree in the culinary arts at 16, Gutenbrunner apprenticed at Relais et Chateau Richard Lowenherz, and continued to develop his trans-global culinary skills in Switzerland, Vienna, Munich and finally (to our delight), the U.S. His first restaurant, WALLSE, opened in 2000, and was soon followed by the equally auspicious openings of , CAFE SABARSKY featuring all the rich cuisine and gregarious decadence of a fin-de-siecle kaffeehaus, and BLAUE GANS, Tribeca’s casual Austrian restaurant and beer hall. We hungrily welcome Chef Gutenbrunner’s continuing challenges to what we think of the unassuming yet surprisingly dynamic Austria.

Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner

Growing up in Austria, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and especially in Italy, Spain, France, Sweden and Norway. After moving to the United States, I have greatly enjoyed exploring this wonderful country piece by piece, especially my hometown of NYC.

Of all the cities in the world, my favorite one is St. Paul de Vence in the South of France.  This wonderful village combines my love of the country, art, and history.  There is so much to take in here, and whenever I return to New York from a holiday here I feel totally recharged.

My favorite hotels would have to be:

The La Colombe d’Or, set in the pretty, walled village of Saint Paul de Vence, its a small, discreet country inn with a big reputation for its cuisine and art collection

The Hotel Adlon Kempinski, which has an unbeatable central location

Hotel Sacher, a place where you look out of your fabulous hotel room at the breathtaking Opera House across the street. You truly get to experience an “old-world” feeling in a very modern city.