Vitus Winkler

The Path

The continuity of a family house matters here. At Sonnhof, where Vitus Winkler has been owner and chef since 2012, the role is built on keeping a place active across seasons rather than chasing novelty for its own sake. That kind of stewardship shows in the way the work is framed: measured, specific, and rooted in a room that has to function day after day. He is also the chef of Kräuterreich by Vitus Winkler, extending the same line of work into a second setting. The trade is presented as something learned through proximity, not abstraction. “I basically grew up with it — in my parents' hotel, which they in turn had taken over from their parents.” That is the language of a house where hospitality is ordinary labor and family business at once, with the kitchen and service floor part of the same daily rhythm. “As a child, I was especially fascinated by the kitchen and by food.” In his career as described today, that early attention is still visible: not as sentiment, but as a long apprenticeship to the house and its routines.

The Work Today

At Sonnhof and Kräuterreich by Vitus Winkler, the work is defined by control and clarity rather than display. One name carries the weight of continuity; the other signals a more exacting, herb-led expression. Together they point to a chef-owner shaping a personal register across two addresses, with each room serving the same disciplined point of view. The emphasis is on composure, place, and a voice that has been built through repetition and care.

Signature

Vitus’s signature dishes include Alpine Meadow, Wild River, Spring Awakening on the Hochkönig, and Phoenix from the Ashes. The names suggest a cuisine that thinks in terms of landscape, season, and renewal, with each title doing some of the framing work that the plate itself would carry in service. They indicate an approach attentive to place and to the language used to present it.

In Their Words “I basically grew up with it — in my parents' hotel, which they in turn had taken over from their parents.” “As a child, I was especially fascinated by the kitchen and by food.”