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Authenticity, creativity and lots of bella vita: Carmine de Michele is Italy ... and Chef for HENDI. That means original Italian lifestyle and the country's most beautiful culinary sides in a package of gastronomic perfection and entrepreneurial innovation. Introducing: Carmine de Michele, chef and owner of "De Michele - verace Pizza napoletana". HENDI wouldn't be HENDI if we didn't live diversity in all its facets and looked beyond Austria's gastronomic horizons - without losing sight of that certain something extra that allows us to make the best out of the good: There is pizza and there is original Neapolitan pizza, as stylish and delicious as never before. Made by a Chef for HENDI, who makes more out of less, while going with the flow and nourishing an exceptionally strong entrepreneurial spirit.

A second nature.
Carmine de Michele was born in Naples just a few days before Christmas in 1990. Naples - that is something more than a city, not only when it comes to food. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe already said "Vedi Napoli e poi muori!", i.e. "Look at Naples and then die!" and thus managed to say in his very own way that one had to experience the southern Italian city once in all its splendour and would not see anything more magnificent in the future. Regardless of whether one agrees with Goethe or not, Naples and the Campania region are known for one thing: la cucina italiana (i.e. genuine Italian cuisine), or to be more precise: pizza. So in a way, Carmine de Michele seems to have been born to conjure up forbidden good pizza and to do the city of Naples a great service as a culinary ambassador in Austria. But one thing at a time.

The goal is the goal.
Already during his school time, Carmine was taught what it means to prepare Neapolitan pizza - which, by the way, was even included in UNESCO's representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2017. He worked in various pizzerias in the southern Italian coastal city and Italy's third-largest city until he finally found his way to the Austrian capital Vienna in 2009. There he worked at the Pizzeria Capatosta on Vienna's famous Naschmarkt from 2009 to 2011. The restaurant describes itself as a "modern interpretation of an Italian pizzeria. It uniquely combines authentic Neapolitan pizza with an urban chic ambiance, (...), minimalistic interior design and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere" and thus already has a lot in common with the person, the chef and the entrepreneur Carmine de Michele. After 3 years in Vienna and a short intermezzo as a pizzaiolo at Sesto Senso in Munich, he returned to Austria in 2012. From 2012 to 2015, he founded and ran La Tavernetta, a pizzeria in the tranquil Upper Austrian town of Ungenach. The success proved him right, and due to a lack of space, he soon moved to the current location on Vöcklabruck's Stadtplatz and renamed it: "De Michele". In 2018, Carmine expanded his repertoire and created "De Michele Catering" and an innovative pizza ape - a real highlight for family celebrations, birthdays, weddings, corporate events or the next garden party with friends. And once again, the courage to take risks proved to be the right decision: De Michele flourishes and is voted the most popular pizzeria in Upper Austria several times by countless Falstaff readers in the following years. Quite rightly, in our opinion.

A holiday, every day.
Carmine and his team always manage to conjure up original Italian flair and the culinary delights of one of the Austrians' favourite holiday destinations on our plates - and they do it with a concept and authenticity that would undoubtedly cause a sensation in Italy too. However, he by no means limits himself to his biggest passion, pizza - although that would actually be enough for us. He reinterprets kitchen classics, indulges with fish, meat and seafood and offers a great selection of primi, secondi e dolci - depending on the season. All of these have one thing in common: They turn the enjoyment of simple dishes, prepared with love and flair and crowned by ingredients of the highest quality and authenticity and the atmosphere of an Italian enclave in the heart of Upper Austria, into an everyday spectacle of a special kind. No wonder, then, that the unmistakable message of what is arguably one of Austria's best pizzerias is "Come to Italy for a bit and we'll pretend that every day is a holiday". Because that's in the end what we are all longing for: a holiday, every day. Isn't it?

As with Martin Kilga and the Paradoxon, we are already looking forward to our next visit to De Michele and would strongly recommend that you stop by as well: for a pizza with the family, pasta with friends or an after-work drink with colleagues - but in any case for a lot of feel-good atmosphere and a little piece of Italian holidays in the heart of Austria.

Carmine and his team at Di Michele do exactly what they do best, with passion and charm: Making guests happy. This requires professionalism, authenticity, a pronounced sense of service and the willingness to always go a little extra mile for his customers. Characteristics that HENDI can also pin to its lapel, making Carmine de Michele and HENDI a daringly good combination and definitely anything but grey everyday life.

We are truly delighted to welcome a unique personality with a lot of entrepreneurial spirit, expressiveness and culinary class to the well-selected circle of Chefs for HENDI: Carmine de Michele, Pizzeria De Michele - verace Pizza napoletana.

De Michele - verace Pizza napoletana
Stadtplatz 17 | 4840 Vöcklabruck | Austria
Phone: +43 660 6100032
E-mail: info@demichele.at
Web: www.demichele.at

HENDI continues its success story of the last few years and is now pleased to have the support of a truly exceptional expert in the Austrian gastronomy scene. Brilliant in detail and yet never losing sight of the big picture, Martin Kilga and his cuisine are what HENDI embodies: versatile, reliable, and professional. A melting pot of many things ... and definitely not boring mainstream.

The long road to happiness.
Martin Kurt Kilga was born in 1982 in beautiful Vorarlberg and attended the tourism school in Bludenz after his primary school years in Götzis Berg and the secondary school in Götzis. Including two internships in service and kitchen, this was an early first step in what would later turn out to be the right direction: gastronomy.

After his school time and jobs at the Löwen Hotel and Inn in Feldkirch, the Alpenhof Messmer in Schruns and the Vinothek zum Zehentkeller in Röthis, Martin got a position at Jörg Wörther's Schloss Prielau in Zell-am-See in 2002. Probably one of the finest addresses in Austria, run at the time by someone who was as brilliant as he was feisty, a student of Witzigmann, a 4-hood chef and for many years the best kitchen virtuoso in Austria. Without a doubt a formative time and, who knows, perhaps thanks to his purism an early source of inspiration for today's Paradoxon concept - but more on that later. Enough adulation, let's move on: in 2003 Martin then worked for a few months in Marc Veyrat's restaurant in Megeve, France. Three Michelin stars, 4 Gault Millau toques - not much more needs to be said about this intermezzo. This first experience abroad saved him the ticket to a job at the Restaurant Mangold in Lochau from 2003 to 2006 - as Chef de Partie, with one Michelin star and 2 toques. Next stop: Munich. Some 200 kilometres away, and what station comes to mind in direct succession to Wörther, Veyrat and Co. A little hint: Tantris. His record there: Chef de Partie, 2 stars, 4 toques, 2006-2008.

This is where it gets interesting for all Salzburgers: not because the next stop from 2008 to 2012 was the Ikarus in Hangar 7 in Salzburg, but because we probably also owe it to this first step to Salzburg that Martin has remained with us in Salzburg to this day, adding an attraction to Salzburg's gastronomy scene. One star, three toques and a lot of input from Europe's culinary elite later, Martin opened Austria's first pop-up restaurant in cooperation with Stefan Brandtner's SB GmbH and from then on, as executive chef and unregistered managing director, he was responsible for the development and implementation of new a multitude of new gastronomic concepts. Between 2012 and 2016, he worked on innovative projects such as Brandtner 63, Brandtner & seine Leit and Brandtner's Mithridat - all in Salzburg and all with completely different, but no less successful concepts

The BYOB era.
As Tony Gaskins said, "If you don't build your own dreams, someone will hire you to build theirs". No sooner said than done. In 2016, Martin decided to devote himself completely to his heart's project and become his own boss (hence BYOB - be your own boss). With a lot of passion and the vision of creating a modern, small company with a focus on quality and professional development, he opened the Paradoxon restaurant in Salzburg and from then on dedicated himself to the guiding idea of offering his guests and employees a new image of gastronomy and management. With success. The Paradoxon is now an award-winning gourmet restaurant "whose only aspiration is quality and responsibility".

Martin and the Paradoxon create taste experiences and an exciting place of change and pleasure. They celebrate purism (perhaps the one of Jörg Wörther, who knows) in the facet of understanding ingredients in their simplicity and packing them in sensual dishes and paradoxical history. The Paradoxon is out-of-the-box and combines culinary (but well-considered) adventures with excellent service and a simple, yet warm feel-good atmosphere that is second to none. This completes an all-round angular and edgy circle that sees change as the only constant in life and is more creative than the most creative. Paradoxical somehow

In any case, we are already looking forward to our next visit to Paradoxon and you should definitely do the same - we think. By the way, you can find the contact details for a reservation at the end of this text.

The essence.
Looking back on this article and forward to a successful collaboration, both of them can probably be summed up in a few keywords: Diversity, competence, innovation, professionalism and anything but boring mainstream. Which also explains why Martin Kilga was probably love at first sight for HENDI and why we are very happy to have him on board. A radiant new face and an undoubtedly exceptional Chef for HENDI: Martin Kilga.

Restaurant Paradoxon
Zugallistrasse 7 | 5020 Salzburg | Austria
Phone: +43 664 1616191
E-mail: restaurant.paradoxon@gmx.at
Web: www.restaurant-paradoxon.com