Freital restaurant offers bounty: 1,000 euros for a chef

From Jörg Stock

Yes, I can open more than one can. "Fantastic," says Stephan Fröhlich, looking down from the wanted poster in his shirtsleeves, apron and rather serious expression. But I'm not a star chef. He says: "No problem, everyone can become a chef with us!" He continues: "Bring your passion into our kitchen!" A thousand euros bounty beckons. So let's get stuck in!

The kitchen that offers a thousand for tips that lead to the hiring of a chef is located in the Freitaler-Wurgwitz Highlands. The Brasserie Ehrlich has been located there, on the secluded Wiesenweg, for eight years. Cozy, delicious, informal - that's the recipe. And it obviously tastes good. Praiseworthy entries can be found in the leading gastronomic guides. The "Restaurant rankings"The surveys that evaluate these guides rank Ehrlich 14th in Saxony.

A job with addictive potential

The business is manageable. The dining room seats twenty or thirty people, the "Stübli" in the basement another ten to twelve. Meals are served from the menu. While Nadine Fröhlich-Butter, the boss, manages the service, Stephan Fröhlich, the chef, is at the stove. "My passion is cooking," he says. For him, cooking is addictive: "Delivering perfectly and receiving praise for it."

The restaurant is the couple's life's work. "We do very old, classic craft school here," says Nadine. She fears that her type of gastronomy is not only rare, but is on the verge of dying out, at least in the countryside. A good name alone is no longer enough to attract suitable staff here. You need proper weapons in this fight, not blanks. Hence the bounty. "The thousand euros are meant in all seriousness."

So far, the brasserie has been lucky. Once you were part of the team, you stayed for years. But now several employees have left within a short space of time, for various reasons, including the second chef. If nothing happens, only the two founders will remain from the five-strong crew. "That won't work," says Stephan.

To try it out, I take his profile at its word. Would he make a cook out of me? Or at least a kitchen assistant? "Sure," he says. "There has to be a certain amount of willpower, then you can do it." Today we're having crispy chicken breast with mashed pumpkin and potatoes and fried garden zucchinis. I get an apron and chopping board and start cutting up the pumpkin.

Being enslaved for the certificate

According to the employment agency, the staffing situation in the restaurant industry is not that bad. Before corona, the sector had 3,140 jobs in the district. Then the pandemic hit and a thousand jobs disappeared. By 2023, however, 3,000 people were working in the industry again. A good one hundred jobs were open, compared to around 370 unemployed people. The chances of filling them were therefore good.

So much for the theory. The practice at Brasserie Ehrlich is different. No suitable applicants. Even the wanted poster, which has been in circulation since mid-August, has not yet had any effect. For Nadine Fröhlich-Butter, the lack of public transport links is one reason for this. Employees want it to be as convenient as possible. "If the bus doesn't stop right outside the door, that's a big issue."

Another big issue is that the industry can offer far more "goodies" than a small restaurant. Margins in the restaurant industry are sewn on the edge, says Nadine, "There are no big leaps." Catering jobs, whether service or kitchen, are demanding, but also extremely rewarding. It's about creating a lasting experience for the guests and telling yourself at the end of the day that you've had a great day. "That doesn't automatically come from money."

Stephan criticizes my pumpkin slices. Too much waste produced. "Extrapolated over the year, that's a lot you're throwing away." In his apprenticeship, which began thirty years ago, he might have been criticized for this. Back then, only the best were taken, he says. You had to work hard for a good certificate. Perhaps in the hope of being able to make the announcements themselves later on. "Today, there's no one left to be a servant."

One out of eight billion

Potato peeling contest! I don't stand a chance against chef Fröhlich. He handles the peeler and tuber in such a way that the potato skin falls off in a spiral in no time at all. This "move" has burned itself into him. Speaking of burning: The gas hob has to be lit. I can do that straight away. The master likes to see that. Without fire, he would miss something. Moving the pan over it, the aroma, the crackling flames, "that's something".

Is it something for the youth? The employment agency reports that 22 apprenticeships in food preparation were recently registered in the district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains and that there were 27 applicants. The chances of recruiting trainees are good for local companies.

Nadine Fröhlich-Butter does not share this optimism. She suspects that young people are too afraid of losing their work-life balance with long shifts and working on public holidays. The harassment that was common in the past has also created an image problem, which may now fall on the industry's shoulders. "It didn't have to be so tough." However, it wouldn't work without hierarchy. "Young people can reach for the stars," she says, "but you have to work your way there."

Season the chicken breasts, place the sage leaf under the skin and into the pan with the pieces. The baked pumpkin slices beep out. The zucchinis have to be sliced and sizzled, the potatoes mashed with the butter blocks. Cooking is a competitive sport, says Stephan, "like a soccer match with extra time and a penalty shoot-out". The future colleague should be up to it. "You're fighting back to back here," he says. "Everything has to fit."

Will the Koch manhunt be successful? Stephan Fröhlich says he remains confident. There are eight billion people walking around on earth. Surely there will be the right one among them. Surviving the time until he is found is what matters now. "We have to persevere."