THE 3-TOQUE CHEF THOMAS HOFER IN BRIEF PORTRAIT
Thomas Hofer, host and 3-toque chef! He cooks so deliciously and masterfully that we just have to introduce him: Thomas discovered his love for cooking early on. As a native of Linz, he loved peeking into his grandmother’s pots in the countryside, where she lovingly prepared traditional Mühlviertel dishes.
After completing his apprenticeship at a toque-awarded restaurant in Linz, he cooked his way through some of Austria’s top kitchens, from Salzburg to the Arlberg, and even worked as sous-chef at the then toque-awarded restaurant at Bergergut. He later made stops among Austria’s gastronomic elite at places like STEIRERECK in Vienna and TAUBENKOBEL in Schützen am Gebirge. In 2013, he opened his own restaurant, CULINARIAT, in Hellmonsödt near Linz, together with Eva-Maria Pürmayer. And in 2017, driven by love (for both cuisine and family), he made Bergergut his permanent home.
Sometimes, in the house, we affectionately call Thomas the “nerd at the stove.” And we do mean it lovingly — because he is 1000% passionate, incredibly talented, and absolutely obsessed with quality and detail. He sometimes becomes so immersed in his work that he forgets everything else around him. Our guests absolutely love the cuisine. And soon, people outside the house began to take notice too: With great dedication, Thomas Hofer earned his second toque at Restaurant CULINARIAT in 2016 and, according to Gault Millau and others, ranks among the top young talents in his field. Numerous additional awards, stars, and forks followed. But what matters most — always — to Thomas and all my fellow hosts at BERGERGUT: the genuine enthusiasm of our guests.
At the turn of the year 2016/2017, Thomas Hofer brought his triple-toque-awarded kitchen and countless ideas to the gourmet hotel BERGERGUT. As head chef, host, and also the private partner of host Eva-Maria Pürmayer — and father to young Leopold. That was truly a feast for romantic hearts who love indulgence!
Thomas is most at home in the kitchen, and if he ever has to give a big speech, it’s about his greatest passion — cooking — with everything that goes with it. He passes that passion on, infectiously and wholeheartedly. Have you heard about our cooking and bread-baking classes around the wood fire?