Dieter Müller was born in Auggen in Baden on 28 July, 1948 and grew up in the Black Forest. He started cooking creatively at the age of eight in his parents’ catering business.
After an apprenticeship as a chef in the Hotel Bauer in Müllheim, a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, which he completed with distinction in 1966, he worked in his parents’ business for two years.
In 1971, Dieter Müller gained an entirely new experience as a chef, under the direction of former champion chef Ernesto Schlegel in the hotel Schweizerhof in Berne. Here he became familiar with classic French cuisine after learning good home cooking. In 1972, he left Berne for the Hotel Miramare Beach, a sister hotel of the Schweizerhof, on the Greek island of Corfu.
Dieter Müller cooked in the restaurant Schweizer Stuben from 1973-1990, which he ran together with his brother Jörg. While there, he passed his final chef examination in 1976. Their ‘nouvelle cuisine’ earned the brothers their first star in the Michelin Guide in 1974, followed by a second in 1977.
From 1982, Dieter Müller was the head chef of the restaurant Schweizer Stuben – until the summer of 1990. During his time there, he won the “Chef of the Year” award twice; in 1982 at the champagne producer Krug and in 1988 at the leading restaurant Gault Millau. The latter named him one of the top 16 chefs in the world and awarded his cuisine 19.5 points. In 1988 he published his first book, titled ‘Das Dieter Müller Kochbuch,’ which went on to win the gold medal from the gastronomic academy of Germany (GAD e.V.).
In February 1992, Dieter Müller opened the gourmet restaurant Dieter Müller in the hotel Schlosshotel Lerbach in Bergisch Gladbach. The restaurant soon ranked in the top five in Germany.
In 1993, the restaurant received its first Michelin star, followed by its second in 1994. The third star was awarded in 1997. The gourmet magazine ‘Der Feinschmecker’ named him chef of the year in 1998.
On September 29, 2010, Dieter Müller became the first Michelin-starred chef to open a gourmet restaurant on board a cruise ship. As a patron on the MS EUROPA, he manages the “Restaurant Dieter Müller,” with 26 seats, and is on board 70 days each year.
- 2 Michelin stars, restaurantDieter Müller, hotel Schlosshotel Lerbach
- Chef of the Year, champagne producer Krug, 1982
- Chef of the Year,Gault Millau,1988
- 19.5,Gault Millau,restaurant Schweizer Stuben