What began as an idea has long since become a culinary tradition: Edip Sigl welcomes colleagues who have shaped their discipline – with their own distinctive style, a bold approach to simplicity and a deep connection to the ingredients.
Guests to date have included, amongst others, Viki Geunes, Andreas Caminada, Jan Hartwig, Benjamin Chmura, Sven Elverfeld, Juan Amador, Silvio Nickol, Timo Fritsche and Christian Bau.
Each of these evenings was a dialogue between equals. Two kitchens, two philosophies, one shared goal: to give guests an experience they will never forget.
What unites all these encounters is the same approach: uncompromising on quality, inspired by collaboration and open to surprises. For one evening, worlds merge, turning the es:senz into a stage for great cuisine in the very best sense.
Two three-star chefs, two distinct styles, one shared evening: at the ‘4 Hands Dinner’ at es:senz on 29 June 2026, Edip Sigl welcomed his long-standing friend Viki Geunes, head chef at Restaurant Zilte in Antwerp.
Together, Edip Sigl and Viki Geunes created an 18-course menu that combined Geunes’s clear, precise style with Edip Sigl’s modern cuisine, influenced by the Chiemgau region. An evening that brought together six Michelin stars whilst beautifully showcasing the concept behind the ‘4 Hands Dinner’ series at Das Achental Resort: great cuisine in dialogue.
“It is a particular pleasure for me to welcome Viki, with whom I share a long-standing friendship, to es.senz. Together, we would like to treat our guests to an extraordinary evening that brings together a total of six Michelin stars,” said Edip Sigl.
After the dinner, Viki Geunes was also impressed by the hospitality at the Das Achental resort. Together with the hosts and owners, Ursula Schelle-Müller and Dieter Müller, Edip Sigl and Viki Geunes raised a toast to this special evening.
Edip Sigl also thanked the entire team for their successful collaboration and summed it up perfectly: “At a ‘4 Hands’ dinner, there are always far more than just four hands at work.”
A special evening at the Das Achental resort and throughout the Chiemgau region: at the ‘4 Hands Dinner’ in the gourmet restaurant es:senz, two three-star chefs – Edip Sigl and Andreas Caminada – worked side by side in the kitchen to create a phenomenal nine-course menu.
For the past three years, Edip Sigl has been inviting renowned top chefs to es:senz to present guests with an exclusive culinary extravaganza. With Andreas Caminada, the multi-award-winning top chef from Switzerland, another culinary visionary has now joined forces with Sigl. Both are united by a passion for perfection, product quality and extraordinary flavour combinations.
At a young age, Andreas Caminada realised his dream of creating an all-round experience that goes far beyond mere cooking at Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau. Today, the establishment has been awarded three Michelin stars and a Green Michelin Star. Caminada’s culinary universe is complemented by the Casa Caminada guesthouse, the vegetable garden, the vegetarian restaurant Oz, and the sharing concepts IGNIV by Andreas Caminada.
“I am impressed by the attention to detail with which Uschi and Dieter Müller have created a very special atmosphere at the Das Achental resort and the es:senz restaurant, turning every stay and every evening of culinary delight into a memorable experience,” said Andreas Caminada.
To round off the evening, Edip Sigl and Andreas Caminada raised a toast to this special occasion together with their hosts, Uschi and Dieter Müller.
Edip Sigl thanked the entire team for the successful collaboration and promised: “Our journey continues. We will be continuing the 4 Hands Dinner Edition next year.”
Jan Hartwig began his career in 2000 with his chef’s apprenticeship at the Dannenfeld restaurant (one Michelin star) in Braunschweig. In 2003, he worked at ‘Pomp Duck and Circumstance’ in Berlin, before taking up a position in the kitchen at the two-star Restaurant Kastell in Wernberg-Köblitz in 2005, under the management of Christian Jürgens. In 2006, he moved to the two-star restaurant Gästehaus Klaus Erfort in Saarbrücken. A year later, Hartwig joined the two-star restaurant ‘Aqua’ in Wolfsburg under the leadership of Sven Elverfeld, where, from 2009 to 2014, he supported the kitchen team as sous chef; the restaurant was awarded three Michelin stars in 2009. In May 2014, Jan Hartwig took up his first position as head chef at the Atelier restaurant in Munich’s Hotel Bayerischer Hof. By 2015, Jan had already earned two Michelin stars, and from 2017 until Hartwig’s departure in 2021, the Atelier even held three stars.
Just five months after opening his first restaurant, JAN, in Munich’s Kunstareal in 2022, Hartwig was awarded three Michelin stars straight away on 4 April 2023.
Benjamin Chmura has been head chef at the legendary Munich gourmet restaurant Tantris since October 2021. Benjamin Chmura had been working at the Troisgros restaurant (three Michelin stars) in Roanne, France, since 2017. He was appointed head chef there in 2019. Since October 2021, the Canadian-born chef has been in charge of the kitchen at Tantris in Munich. As early as March 2022, Tantris, under head chef Benjamin Chmura, was awarded two Michelin stars. Together with our two-star chef Edip Sigl, the successful duo treated our guests to an evening of culinary delights in perfect harmony.
The popular gourmet series continued on Monday, 8 May 2023, with Sven Elverfeld. Elverfeld’s career really took off in 1998 at the Ritz-Carlton. Prior to the opening of the Aqua restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Wolfsburg, Elverfeld managed the gourmet restaurant La Baie at The Ritz-Carlton in Dubai. In 2002, Aqua was awarded its first Michelin star, followed by a second in 2006, and the restaurant has held three Michelin stars since 2009. Aqua is now ranked amongst the ten best trendy restaurants in Germany, and Sven Elverfeld is considered one of the country’s finest chefs. The culinary extravaganza delighted guests on this unique evening, during which four hands and five stars presented magnificent creations on the plates.
Bavaria’s only three-star chef, Christian Jürgens, joined forces with two-star chef Edip Sigl in the kitchen for the first time as part of the ‘4 Hands Dinner’ series. Christian Jürgens has been working at the Althoff Seehotel Überfahrt on Lake Tegernsee since 2008, and since 2013 the restaurant Überfahrt – Christian Jürgens has been awarded the top rating of three stars in the Michelin Guide. Despite their different culinary styles, Christian Jürgens and Edip Sigl have things in common: both bring their menus to the table with great attention to detail, perfection and passion, whilst prioritising regional produce. Watch HERE a report from rfo.
Silvio Nickol cites passion, hard work and happiness as the three cornerstones of his career. Since 2011, he has been running the two-Michelin-starred “Silvio Nickol Gourmetrestaurant” at the Palais Coburg in Vienna. “My cuisine is characterised by elaborate, well-thought-out dishes that are executed with creativity and perfect craftsmanship,” says Nickol, describing his signature style. Nickol and Sigl met whilst working together under Heinz Winkler in Aschau im Chiemgau. Regional TV Upper Bavaria spent an evening covering the 4-Hands Dinner with guest chef Silvio Nickol at the Das Achental resort.
See for yourself the unique atmosphere of this gourmet event at es:senz HERE.
Christian Bau has been head chef and host at “Victor’s Fine Dining by Christian Bau” in Perl-Nenning, Saarland, since 1998; the restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars. “We offer dishes made from exclusive ingredients of the very highest quality, with respect for the seasons and nature – classically grounded, inspired by the Far East and spectacularly presented,” says the Michelin-starred chef. Bau also added an Asian touch to the set menu at es:senz.
“I don’t follow trends in my cooking. My cuisine is like the little black dress – there’s nothing to hide,” says Juan Amador. The German chef with Spanish roots has been running the three-Michelin-starred restaurant “Amador” in Vienna since 2016. Amador’s recipes are rooted in the classic cuisines of Catalonia, France and the Basque Country. It was with this distinctive style that Amador also enchanted guests at the 4 Hands Dinner in Grassau.
In Switzerland, Timo Fritsche has been awarded a star for the vegetarian restaurant “Oz” in Fürstenau. At Oz, guests do not sit at tables but at the bar, which curves like a horseshoe around the open kitchen. “Whatever catches my eye whilst I’m wandering through the garden ends up on the plate just a few hours later – presented with plenty of imagination and love,” emphasises Fritsche. He also demonstrated in *es:senz* just how delicious vegetarian dishes can be.
