Kitchen Talks: Chef Klaus Lukarsch

For some German food fix, we usually go to Paulaner Brauhaus. Meet the chef behind the yummy German food at this restaurant.

What got you started into cooking? Family business. I grew up in a family who had a butchery at home. Ever since I can remember, we also had what we call in Germany a Party Service. It’s not like a hotel catering business where they provided everything, even the tables to chairs. As for us, we only provided the food. My mother handled the catering business while my father took care of the butchery. As a kid who was curious about everything, I helped out whenever I could. How long have you been a chef? I have been a chef since 1997, so I’ve been in this business for 14 years. Before all that, I was a butcher. I even went to China to work at this five-star hotel's big butchery. We were like a city within a city wherein we had our own bakery, butchery, and many more. There was German restaurant there, and we were the ones who provided the sausages and other meat they needed. One night, their chef left them hanging and they asked me to take over. They knew that I could also cook, so that was how I became a chef. It was a good experience as I trained under excellent chefs back there. They helped me harness my skill in cooking. What’s the most memorable dish that you cooked as a professional chef? The dishes I cooked were typical German foods such as the Emperor Pancakes, Grilled Knuckles, and the Veal Schnitzel. Since the restaurant was already running before I came in, they already had a standard menu. What I did was just follow it, though I added a few new recipes. What were the challenges you encountered while working as a chef? Just getting the job done every day is such a big challenge. Not to mention, you also have to prepare the dishes, take care of your staff, whip up other dishes when the ingredients you need don’t come. How do you take care of this problem? Improvise. You always have to be ahead of everything. When something is already running out, you have to change the dish a little bit. But if you cannot totally solve it, you just have to be honest and let customers know that you cannot serve it tonight. It’s better to be honest rather than doing something which the customer didn’t really ask for. How did you end up working in Singapore? The General Manager at Paulaner Brauhaus knew me from my days at Beijing. The former chef here moved to Australia, so they needed someone to take care of their kitchen. He approached me and asked if I wanted the job and so, here I am now. What are the must-try dishes at Paulaner Brauhaus? Our top sellers are the Emperor Pancakes, Grilled Knuckle, and the Veal Schnitzel. These are the dishes that our customers always order. We also have the mixed sausage pan which is also just as good! It’s a mixture of different kinds of sausages in a platter so it’s perfect for groups. What’s the German food we should all try? The schnitzel is really one of my favourites. You cannot eat it every day but you can have it once a month. What do you tell those people who say that German food is not healthy? That is a misconception. It only becomes unhealthy when you eat too much. Even other dishes such as pasta are very unhealthy when you eat 2 to 3 plates at night. What is the inspiration behind dishes you cook? The first thing I always have to think of is to come up with dishes that would fit the Paulaner concept. Our dishes are influenced by other European cuisines, so that is what I always have to think about. It’s a good thing that Singapore is very welcoming of German food. They love to try authentic German food. So, every month, we always come up with the German Special which runs for a few weeks. Favourite Singaporean food? I love Ikan Bilis! I would usually get that at a Golf Course. My friends and I would usually meet up there to hang out and relax. If you weren’t a chef, what would you have been? I’ve never really thought about the answer to this question because I love my job. What is your advice to people who want to be chefs? I would tell them to watch their wastage. Love Western cuisine? Explore more variety here Search for the best German dishes here