i. Biography
The cooking is built as an open-kitchen tasting-menu practice: seasonal products, European-rooted technique, and ingredients drawn from the country and around the world. In Stefan Stiller’s format, fine dining is worked close to the counter rather than behind a wall. Service rhythm, finishing work, detail, and the exchange between guest and cook are part of the method, not decoration.
Training and Lineage
Classical European kitchen training supplied the base grammar: repetition, timing, station discipline, and precision under service pressure. Stefan Stiller began as apprentice at Restaurant Endtenfang at the Hotel Fürstenhof in Celle, Germany (from 1983), then worked as stagiaire at Restaurant Goldener Pflug in Cologne, Germany. The progression through chef at Schweizer Stuben in Wertheim-Bettingen, Germany, and owner and chef at Restaurant l'Auberge in Celle, Germany (from 1989), kept the work inside that European discipline of sauces, restraint, and controlled execution. The German middle years moved the craft from formation into authorship. As chef-de-cuisine at Restaurant Schwarzer Hahn in Deidesheim, Germany (from 1998), and then owner at Restaurant Grand Cru in Deidesheim, Germany (1999–2004), Stiller worked between inherited classical technique and a more independent restaurant language. The move to executive chef at Club Shanghai, China (from 2004), placed that background in a faster, broader market. Executive chef at Mimosa Supperclub (2005–2007), further tied the work to the city’s dining culture. Restaurant practice and teaching later sat in the same frame. Stiller became founder at Stiller's Restaurant and Cooking School in Shanghai (from 2008), then partner at La Cocotte Restaurant in Hangzhou (from 2012), and founder at EAST Eatery (from 2015). His professional work extended into competition as Contest President at Bocuse d'Or Asia-Pacific Continental Selection in Guangzhou (2018–2018). Further openings followed as founder at Taian Table Guangzhou (from 2021), and founder at Stiller in Guangzhou Garden Hotel, Guangzhou (from 2021). Today, Stefan is chef-owner of Taian Table (since 2016) and president of Bocuse d'Or Team China and Asia Pacific.
The Work Today
The current format is intimate, counter-centric fine dining: an open kitchen, a seasonal tasting menu, and close proximity between cooks and guests. The labor remains visible. Plates are finished in view, timing and temperature decisions can be read from the counter, and garnish work becomes part of service rather than an unseen final step. Menu development runs on a six-week cycle, with Stiller and the team creating a new menu using local ingredients and products from around the world. That pace gives the room movement, while the cooking stays refined, modern and creative, with techniques rooted in Europe and inspiration drawn from products and flavours of Asia and beyond. The working language is exchange: method, ingredient, and texture are allowed to cross traditions while remaining legible on the plate. The signatures show that exchange in concrete form. Jilin smoked eel with koji rice and duck xiaolongbao finished à la minute in front of guests have been cited for interweaving Chinese produce and European technique. The work depends on recognizable elements—smoke, rice, dough, broth, precision, immediacy—held in close timing. At the Guangzhou dining room, sea urchin with sourdough bread and brown butter was listed as a must-try dish, using richness, tang, warmth, and texture within the same disciplined register. Hospitality is treated as hosting, not ceremony. Stiller’s stated language is direct: “The true meaning of “hospitality” is to be a host. Hosting guests is one of my greatest pleasures. I love hosting people, whether it’s at my home or at my restaurant.” Through his flagship, he aims to bring together like-minded people and break the boundaries of traditional fine dining; his motto is: “Innovation always beats perfection!” The useful point for the trade is clear: polish matters, but the system is designed to keep renewing itself.
Signature
Signature dishes include Jilin smoked eel with koji rice.
Honors
Stefan Stiller has received Michelin Guide — three Michelin stars for Taian Table Shanghai. Stefan's honors include Third Michelin star for Taian Table Shanghai (2021), Second Michelin star for Taian Table Shanghai (2019), One Michelin star for Taian Table Shanghai (2016), and Member of Les Grandes Tables du Monde for Taian Table (2021).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Stefan
What does Stefan Stiller do now?
Stefan Stiller is chef-owner.
Where did Stefan Stiller work before?
Earlier in their career, Stefan Stiller worked at Restaurant Endtenfang at the Hotel Fürstenhof, Restaurant Goldener Pflug, and Schweizer Stuben.
What recognition has Stefan Stiller received?
Third Michelin star for Taian Table Shanghai (2021).
