Renowned culinary master Johann Lafer. - Living on the precipice.
During the past decade, Germany's renowned TV chef has faced considerable challenges. In 2014, tax investigators targeted him. As managing director, he acknowledged responsibility for the situation, but emphasized, "Nobody can accuse me of seeking this out." The chef accepted the penalty order, stating, "I've admitted it was a mistake, paid everything, and lost all my money."
Come May 13, he'll return to TV with his new Sat.1 cooking show "Drei Teller für Lafer." Cooking is his true passion. However, religion had once been his driving force.
As a teenager, he aspired to join a monastery. "I felt very comfortable in the Catholic Church. I was an altar boy, and I would have liked to study to become a priest. That didn't happen due to my family's financial situation."
Lafer then opted for an apprenticeship as a chef at age 17, a decision that seemed fate-motivated. After military service, he traveled the world, learning from culinary legends such as Josef Viehhauser (73) and Eckart Witzigmann (82). He received his first Michelin star in 1983 and his second four years later. Lafer opened a restaurant, then a second, a hotel, and a cooking school. Simultaneously, he appeared onscreen. His life was constantly under immense pressure.
This drive for success originated from his upbringing. "I didn't experience love in my childhood," he shares. His parents, Johann (71) and Irmgard (90), had been impacted by their experiences during the war. "The hunt for love was the engine for my success."
However, by the mid-2000s, this restlessness halted. "I thought people had no limits. I realized I was in a bad way. My body and soul were on strike. They'd call it burnout nowadays."
The Austrian, who's married to Silvia since 1990, overhauled his life. Additionally, he wanted to devote more time to his children, Jennifer (29) and Jonathan (23), who are cherished by him but receive little of his attention.
Lafer now works fewer hours, alters his diet (consuming less meat, avoiding sugar, and indulging in plenty of vegetables), and cycles 30 km daily, resulting in a 15 kg weight loss. "Now, I weigh about 100 kg." He intends to impart his expertise on savouring food properly through his new cooking program.
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Source: symclub.org
