Bernd Knöller

Knöller came to Valencia as a curious outsider — a German chef who fell in love with the Valencian Mediterranean pantry. His outsider perspective allowed him to see Valencian ingredients with fresh eyes, applying German technical rigor to olive oil, Denominación de Origen rice, Albufera eels, and Valencian citrus.

Bernd Knöller, born March 19, 1962, in Höfen in the Black Forest (Germany), moved to Valencia in 2001 and has held his Michelin star since 2009. A passionate advocate of Valencian and regional Mediterranean ingredients, he embodies the crossroads of German precision and Spanish sunshine — cooking that is structured yet sensual.

Black Forest, Germany — trained in classical German and French cuisine; adopted Valencian Mediterranean cooking

Career

• Chef at German and European restaurants, Germany and Europe (1982–2001)
• Owner-Chef at Riff, Valencia, Spain (2001–present)

Mentored by German and French classical cuisine; Valencian culinary tradition.