Kurt Scheller

Kurt Scheller is one of the most recognisable and influential figures on the Polish culinary scene. A Swiss master chef, mentor, teacher and ambassador of the highest standards of gastronomy, for over three decades he has actively contributed to the development of Polish culinary culture, shaping successive generations of chefs and setting the directions in which the industry has grown.

He came to Warsaw in the early 1990s, at a time when Polish gastronomy was only just opening up to global trends. Kurt Scheller was one of the pioneers who introduced modern restaurant-management standards, international culinary techniques and products that for many were then a symbol of the inaccessible world of Western gastronomy. His work had an enormous impact on the development of the premium and fine-dining segment in Poland.

Working for the most prestigious hotels and restaurants, such as Hotel Bristol, Sheraton Warsaw and Hotel Rialto, he consistently built a culture of professional gastronomy. The famous brunches at Hotel Bristol remain legendary to this day; they became a permanent part of the history of Warsaw’s culinary scene and set new standards of hospitality.

However, Kurt Scheller’s greatest achievement is undoubtedly his educational work. Over the years he has trained and inspired hundreds of chefs, many of whom today run renowned restaurants and hotels both in Poland and abroad. For the entire community he remains not only a teacher but also an authority who consistently promotes professionalism, discipline and respect for the profession.

He is a co-founder of the Polish National Association of Chefs and Pastry Chefs and of the Chefs’ Club – organisations that played a key role in integrating and professionalising the Polish gastronomic industry. As a juror of national and international culinary competitions and the author of numerous publications and cookbooks, he has for years shared his knowledge and experience with successive generations of professionals.

The Bocuse d’Or competition holds a special place in his work. As early as 1995, as Team Manager, he contributed to the historic participation of a Polish chef in the grand finale of Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, opening the door for Polish gastronomy to the world’s most prestigious culinary competition. These were times when the contest did not yet have an extensive system of national and European selections, which further underlines the significance of this achievement.

Since 2018 Kurt Scheller has actively supported the development of the Bocuse d’Or Poland Academy and candidates preparing for the European qualifiers and international competition. He also served as a juror of the Polish Bocuse d’Or selections in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025, remaining one of the most important ambassadors of the competition in our country.

Today Kurt Scheller is a symbol of professionalism, passion and consistency. His contribution to the development of Polish gastronomy is hard to overstate, and the influence he has had on several generations of chefs has been permanently inscribed in the history of the industry. He is a figure without whom contemporary Polish gastronomy would not look the way it does today.