Chef of the Week – Heinz Klenner

August 1^st, 2008

The other day I caught up with Chef Heinz Klenner, as it turns out he is currently taking a well deserved break from the kitchen grind. Chef Heinz is presently seeking to secure a further Executive Sous Chef opportunity. As they say- “You can take the Chef away the Kitchen but you cannot take the Kitchen away from the Chef”.

He began his culinary career in the butchery followed by a stint in a renowned restaurant in the Austrian countryside. Following this he ventured away from his homeland for a number of short stints doing seasonal work during his “learning years”. He spent a number of winters in the Swiss ski fields as well as those of western Austria. The summer months saw Chef Heinz aboard a cruise liner or two on the lakes in eastern Austria.

Over the past few years Chef Heinz has been aligned with Do&Co, a worldwide catering company, which caters events like F1 grand prix, ATP tennis, as well as the Euro 2004.

His first “real” abroad experience was a 1 ½ year Sous Chef contract in Boston at the Westin Copley Place. For the past 4 years he has been with Hyatt; namely the Grand Hyatt Dubai as chef de cuisine followed by the Hyatt Regency Dubai in the capacity of Executive Sous Chef. Recently Chef Heinz was transferred to the Hyatt Regency Belgrade, however due to numerous reasons he decided to vacate the position.

Question Time

chef 21- Were you destined to become a chef?

Chef Heinz- I’ve liked to be in the kitchen as long as I can think back, although I have learned the trade as a butcher first before I became a chef.

chef 21- Can you offer a few words of advice for the chefs of tomorrow?

Chef Heinz- Be focused, work hard, learn as much as you can from good experienced chefs and don’t think anything will be given to you for free. I dislike young chefs, who think they can cook because they went to 36000$ per year schools, and think they’ll be stars on TV without the necessary experience. Don’t take shortcuts, simply because we’ve all been there and probably tried the same a few years back.

chef 21- What are you hobbies and spare time interests?

Chef Heinz- I do like photography, skiing and sailing, in addition I am about to make my scuba license.

chef 21- What do you eat for breakfast?

Chef Heinz- Usually just coffee.

chef 21- What were your favorite foods as a child?

Chef Heinz- I did grow up in the Austrian countryside on a family owned winery, so most foods I enjoyed, and still do, are old Austrian home-style classics like Tafelspitz (boiled beef) and Kaiserschmarrn.

chef 21- If you had one wish, what would it be?

Chef Heinz- I’d like to have my own small place where I grew up, something like a 40 seat restaurant, where I can cook as I wanted, without needing to think about any financial aspects. (Probably feasible save for the last part)

The parting words- why don’t you leave the audience

with a sentence or two to ponder over?

Chef Heinz- I have met so many great chefs over the course of my career; consequently I am grateful to have worked with them and learned as much as I could. Bottom line is that it’s the experience which makes us qualified, valuable, and distinctive.

chef 21- Thank you for sharing your views and opinions with the readers.

You can find two of Chef Heinz’s recipes in the Recipe Vault, namely;

1. Gazpacho Jelly with Baby Mozzarella
2. Pan Fried Fillets of Red Snapper, Mussel Veloute, Sautéed Baby Spinach

About the Author

Matthew Goudge - Visit Website
Australian Chef- Matthew Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the chef21blog platform. Since the initial humble beginnings Chef Matthew has been dedicated to creating this very network. Chef Matthew has been in the culinary field for a mere 21 years. He has worked in numerous locations including; Australia, Austria, England, Malaysia, China and St Lucia. Matthew’s first steps in the field of article writing began at the tender age of nineteen; whereby he contributed a weekly story for a local newspaper in coastal New South Wales, Australia.

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