Eckart Witzigmann is an Austrian chef.

After his chef-apprenticeship in the Hotel Straubinger in Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein is a spa town in the Austrian state of Salzburg, situated at the northern rim of the Hohe Tauern national park. It has 5,838 inhabitants. The name "Bad" means "spa", reflecting the town's history as a health resort. It is located at the head of the Gastein valley, about 1,000 metres ...

 (1957–1960), Witzigmann moved on to numerous positions in prestigious restaurants around the world, among others as a student of Paul Bocuse

Paul Bocuse

Paul Bocuse is a French chef based in Lyon who is famous for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine...

 in Lyon

Lyon

Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....

, France.

His work in Germany began in 1971 at the Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

 restaurant Tantris designed by the architect Justus Dahinden

Justus Dahinden

Justus Dahinden is a notable Swiss architect, teacher and writer about architecture.- Life :From 1945 to 1949, he studied architecture at ETH Zürich , graduating in 1956 with his Ph.D. In 1955 he started his own architecture office in Zürich...

.

On 19 November 1979, he became the first German-speaking chef (and the third, outside of France) to receive the esteemed three stars from the French Michelin Guide

Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...

 for his Munich restaurant Aubergine which he had opened one year previously.

In 1993, because of a cocaine

Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

 scandal he lost the permit for Aubergine, but the next year he received the rare award chef of the century from the Gault Millau

Gault Millau

Gault et Millau is one of the most influential French restaurant guides founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. Gault Millau is most famous for its rating system, on a scale of 1 to 20. Restaurants below 10 points are almost never listed...

 guide. Only three other chefs have been awarded this title:Paul Bocuse

Paul Bocuse

Paul Bocuse is a French chef based in Lyon who is famous for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine...

, Joël Robuchon

Joël Robuchon

Joël Robuchon is a French chef and restaurateur. He was titled "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989 and also awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France in cuisine in 1976...

 and Frédy Girardet

Frédy Girardet

Frédy Girardet is a Swiss chef who cooks in the French tradition. Often considered one of the greatest chefs of the 20th Century, his self-named restaurant in Crissier, Switzerland earned three Michelin stars and before Giradet's retirement in 1996 was often called the greatest restaurant in the...

.

Since then, Witzigmann has published many cooking books.