Manuel Ulrich

The Path

The line between trainee and head chef is unusually short when the same property frames both ends of the story. At Öschberghof in Donaueschingen, Manuel Ulrich started as a culinary trainee and stayed until 2012, learning kitchen discipline on the ground he would later return to in charge. That continuity matters in trade terms: the room already knew his work before the title changed. Service pressure sharpened the next stage. A winter season at Burg Hotel Oberlech in Lech (2012) placed Ulrich inside a faster alpine rhythm, where early technique had to hold up under pace and repetition. He then moved to Restaurant Haerlin, Fairmont Four Seasons in Hamburg (2016–2017), a post that further tightened his sense of structure and timing. Another step came under Torsten Michel at Schwarzwaldstube, where precision and composure were carried forward rather than reset. By the time Ulrich became head chef of ÖSCH NOIR in 2018, the career path had already established its own logic: exacting rooms, defined roles, and a steady return toward Donaueschingen.

The Work Today

Modern French cuisine at Ösch Noir has been shaped under Ulrich’s direction since 2018, with Michelin-star recognition arriving in 2020 and again in 2021. The result is not framed as reinvention, but as a clear reading of place and technique. A Heidenhofen native, he returned to the address where his culinary life began and made the flagship table unmistakably his own. The cooking itself is expressed through control. Ulrich names modern French as his stated specialty, then gives a dish in direct terms: “And today we prepare our Imperial pigeon with kimchi, plum, and sesame.” The method follows the same register: “We sear it off. And then it comes in the oven to get cooked. That's how we present it.” It is a kitchen language built on sequence, restraint, and finish.

Signature

Manuel's signature dishes include Imperial pigeon and Hand Dived Norwegian Scallops.

In Their Words “And today we prepare our Imperial pigeon with kimchi, plum, and sesame.”

Acclaim

Manuel's honors include Michelin star (2020) and Michelin-star recognition in 2021.