THE INTERNATIONAL ECKART WITZIGMANN PRIZE

The German Academy for Culinary Studies facilitates the exchange of knowledge between the theory and practice of food. It is an institution of further training, research and teaching. The overall aim is to emphasize the relevance and significance of food and hospitality for the public as well as those working in this field and thus, it furthers the relations between cultural studies of food, hospitality, gastronomy, food industry, nutritional sciences, education and national and international business.

The highest standards of culinary art and gastronomy are a trade mark of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.

In this respect the South West of Germany has always an exception. With currently 52 out of 185 Michelin starred restaurants in Germany, Baden-Württemberg has the highest density of stars among European regions. This potential is a great asset for the government and the tourist organisations when it comes to national and international marketing of Baden-Württemberg as a Federal state as well as for the marketing of the restaurant industry.

In awarding the International Eckart Witzigmann Prize the German Academy for Culinary Studies, in cooperation with the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, pays tribute to outstanding achievements in the culinary arts and in the media on the subject of food.

From 2004 onwards the prize has been awarded in three categories and since 2006 in four:
 

AWARD 1 | for Outstanding Culinary Art
AWARD 2 | for Art, Literature, Media and Science
AWARD 3 | or Innovation, Young Talents and Education
AWARD 4 | for Life Time Achievements

Eckart Witzigmann on the International Prize for Culinary Art

Eating and rituals around eating are an integral part of our every day culture. Cooking has always required creative composition. It has always been about the creative interplay of tradition and vision. We as chefs have to continuously face this challenge anew, in terms of creativity as much as in terms of quality. Our professional responsibility requires the setting of benchmarks. The degree of our credibility depends not at least on the image our profession has in the eye of the public. And in this respect there is still a lot to be done. What our profession lacked for a long time was an independent, academic award, which is solely committed to quality.

It was only the German Academy for Culinary Studies that had the right approach and positioning to establish this prize internationally. To award the international prize for Culinary Art in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, is a good decision since the South-West of Germany is one of the finest culinary regions within Europe. The idea of giving the prize my name is a great honour for me and a challenge as well. This prize is an opportunity to publicly single out for special honour those high levels of the art of cooking, which we normally attempt to perform in our kitchens. The point of awarding this prize is not only for the benefit of the guest but also for to contribute to the culture of food.

Eckart Witzigmann