Vino Voices Special Edition: "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" by Apple TV—Episode 7

"Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" by Apple TV

This Special Edition Vino Voices post is one of seven that will take place while episodes from the series "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" are being initially released by Apple TV.

I was fortunate enough to be provided with advanced screenings of this series and have been watching them during past weeks. Episode 7 premiers today on Apple TV. Below is a brief overview.

"Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2"

Episode Seven: We do it MY way

Restaurants & Locations: Chef Max of Tulus Lotrek restaurant in Berlin in Germany has one Michelin star and is aiming for two, while Chef Daniel Schimkowitsch at L.A. Jordan in Deidesheim, Germany, has two stars and is aiming for three.

Tensions/Conflict:

The food at Tulus Lotrek is excellent, but because the ingredients are often stacked on top of each other, the plating and presentation is less than visually impressive. Can their new style venison dish topped with quinoa and algae win the admiration of a Michelin inspector?

Because L.A. Jordan is situated in an agricultural region (known for Riesling wine production) it is difficult to find and keep staff. They have lost ten staff members in the past year, and because the pastry chef departed just before Michelin inspection season, the kitchen is now down to three members. Can Chef Daniel relax enough to make his staff feel more comfortable with their work?

Quotations:

Chef Max Strohe of Tulus Lotrek:

"Let's get as close to perfection as we can, and still have fun."

"Our food is intense. German based comfort food. We cook ingredients in a French way, with a German soul."

Chef Daniel of L.A. Jordan:

"Perfection is one of the most important parts in my kitchen."

"We want to do the best and if you are not strict you cannot do the best."

"We can only get three stars as a team. So I have to change myself."

Anonymous Michelin Inspector:

"A three star restaurant is the pinnacle of fine dining. It's the best in the world. They showcase that they really mastered finesse on the plates, fine flavor and to be very precise across the whole menu. Which is a very hard thing to do, but a restaurant can't win three stars just by the effort of one chef. It's a team effort; they're in it together."

Narrator/Host Jesse Burgess:

"To win a star here in 2026, you have to be doing something unbelievably special."

"Germany ranks fourth on the list of countries with the most Michelin stars. This is a nation that is serious about what it eats . . . Berlin is no stranger to reinvention. A city where individuality collides with German precision. A combination that's now producing one of Europe's key dining scenes."

Culinary Highlights:

Tulus Lotrek: Tuna with elderflower vinaigrette and duck liver ice cream on top.

L.A. Jordan: Venison tartare with Beluga caviar on top, with oil from wild juniper.

Local Quirks:

Tulus Lotrek: Max was in a romantic relationship with co-owner/host/sommelier Ilona Scholl for a decade; after parting, they have continued to work together for three years, amicably. Ilona said: "The romantic thing after ten years didn't turn out. The restaurant kind of crashed and burned our relationship. But it's worth it because the restaurant became bigger than our relationship."

L.A. Jordan: 70% of German wine comes from the Deidesheim region, where the L.A. Jordan restaurant is located.

Vino Voices

Thanks for tuning into this episode of Vino Voices. Check out our regular Tuesday posts, which will soon feature visits to Dubai in the UAE and Malibu in California in the USA. It will also provide free pdfs/links to a three part Forbes series I wrote some years ago about visiting Tuscan wineries in a Fiat 500 car.

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