GastroGourmetGuide is the provider of an internet platform created by the combining of Gustav Volkenborn’s Restaurant Hitlists and the directory of chefs that could be found on the www.die-besten-koeche.com website. The result is a complete and unique online product in the field of gastronomy and which is without doubt unequalled for both the depth of information offered and its user-friendliness.
The Men Behind the Idea
Hannes Buchner (1964), businessman, has been successfully operating the platform www.the-best-chefs.com for the past 3 years. Right from their first meeting it was obvious to both Christian Stromann (1976), owner of an agency for digital communication and the founder of the gastronomic portal Sternefresser.de, and Hannes Buchner what possible synergetic effects could arise from joining forces. And indeed proved correct when the late Gustav Volkenborn’s Restaurant Hitlists were taken over and merged with the besten-koeche.com site.
The Origins
It is now nearly 20 years since Gustav Volkenborn (1941-2006) had the idea of using the widely varying basis of the restaurant guides’ evaluations and turning the results of the major guides into a combined list, establishing a mathematical average and thereby producing an overall rating list. In order to achieve this all grades were converted into a uniform system (the French schools’ grading system of 0 – 20) and weighted according to circulation and importance thereby giving each restaurant an individual total. So it became possible to compare the results of each guide with one another. In addition the restaurant hitlists have themselves gained increased recognition and are now also considered a benchmark.
Hannes Buchner’s approach results from his many visits to restaurants at home and abroad. In 2004 he developed his own chef databank with detailed information on the workers and creators behind the scenes. Having seen the databank grow with the help of enthusiastic gourmet chefs it was decided to present it online. During the past couple of years it has grown to become a European gourmet portal which presumes to give inspiration to both the enjoyer of good food and those who know the scene inside out.
We hope that our new comprehensive culinary platform will prove to be a milestone in this market..
