Torsten Michel

Torsten Michel, born in Dresden, Germany in 1977, is the head chef of the three-Michelin-starred Schwarzwaldstube at Hotel Traube Tonbach in Baiersbronn, Black Forest, where he succeeded Harald Wohlfahrt in July 2017 and has maintained the restaurant's three-star rating since 2018, including through a 2020 fire and reopening in 2022. He joined Schwarzwaldstube in January 2004 after training at Bülow Residenz under Stefan Hermann, became sous-chef in 2007, and completed internships at The Fat Duck, Noma, and L'Arnsbourg. His cuisine emphasizes precision, simplicity, and depth of flavor, blending Upper Swabian traditions with modern techniques in dishes like Anjou pigeon with coffee and hazelnuts.