Germany’s President of the Arsnova International Culinary Prize is a renowned chef. Also a devoted Francophile, Douce Steiner champions refined cuisine, crafted with precision, in the family restaurant Hirschen.
The first of several French connections is her name, Douce. The second is her mother, Claude, a French native. As for the third, it was in France that the chef honed her skills, in the three-starred establishment Georges Blanc in Vonnas – a long way from the family-owned restaurant in Germany. Family-owned because Douce Steiner is the daughter of chef Hans-Paul Steiner. In 1980, he purchasedHirschen in the quiet village of Sulzburg, in the heart of the Black Forest. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star after its first year of opening, which was followed by a second in 1995. In 2010, two years after her father retired, Hirschen lost its second star. Douce Steiner reclaimed the accolade in 2012, and in doing so became the only female chef in Germany to hold two stars.
Alongside her husband, Ido Weiler, and now her daughter, Justine, she champions “classic but light” French cuisine, in her own words – “without butter, other than for taste, and without cream; but very aromatic, with plenty of herbs”. She also brings a Japanese touch to her food, as she loves the cuisine for its finesse. She doesn’t want the family business to grow too much – it’s all about balance. “Eight rooms and 30 covers is just right to ensure a quality service with the same level of care as well as the well-being of the whole team,” says Germany’s President of ArsNova Signature (formerly the Taittinger Prize). This annual award promotes creative efforts themed around a flagship product in the nine countries it covers; these efforts are then showcased first in national selections, and then in an international final — with the next edition scheduled to take place on 3 February 2026.
What should a renowned chef expect from candidates who make the cut? “Taste, first and foremost! For me it’s the most important thing in a dish,” she says unequivocally. “Style is something else entirely. That takes time, it comes with hard work and experience. It is born from individual creativity and involves long-term research.” She believes that her own style has developed gradually, with a great deal of time and patience. Furthermore, only in the last two years has she created true ‘signature’ dishes that reflect her identity as a chef. In her case, royal langoustine, kampot pepper over pink grapefruit, and poached bison tenderloin and goose foie gras beneath a celery leaf, served on an oxtail and lemon tea essence, with barberries and olive oil.
In 2023, Douce Steiner was voted “Female Chef of the Year” by Gault & Millau Germany. Alongside her family, she champions traditional, light and modern cooking, inspired by “old French chefs – Blanc and Louiseau among others – who each had their own inimitable style”. Today she laments the fact that cuisine has become standardised, particularly in Germany, driven more by trends and fads than by genuine inspiration. “The food everywhere is generic and lacks any real originality or character. That goes against everything I believe in. Creativity is a feeling; it has to come from the heart.”
