Kevin Fehling: “There is no such thing as perfection, but we will never stop striving for it”

Kevin Fehling speaks quickly. One thought leads to the next; one idea opens up several more doors at once. Perhaps that suits a chef whose menu is called ‘The Gateway to the World’ quite well. But what stands out is that whenever Fehling talks about his profession, one word keeps cropping up: gratitude. Because becoming a chef was by no means a strategically planned career. His grandmother once advised him, in essence, to choose a profession such as butcher, baker or chef, so that he would at least always have something to eat. His mother was initially surprised when he actually decided he wanted to become a chef. Her advice has stayed with him to this day: “If you do something, just do it properly.” Today, Fehling runs his own three-star restaurant in Hamburg and is also in charge of a restaurant on the MS Europa. Even so, he wouldn’t change a thing about his path.

What Fehling wants to instil in his own children therefore sounds less like career planning and more like a mindset. They can do whatever they like. If one of his daughters wanted to become a florist, then she should simply try to build the most beautiful flower shop that has ever existed. Passion, enjoyment, talent, creativity and, above all, the courage to be creative in her own way. “There’s only your own path,” he says. You have to set yourself a goal and not let yourself be constantly distracted by what’s happening left and right. It’s a philosophy that runs through his own career as well.

The same applies to the people he hires. When assessing applications, Fehling is not solely interested in which two- or three-star restaurants someone has worked in previously. He asks other questions: Does the person have their heart in the right place? Are they motivated? Do they want to learn? Does their character fit in with the team? After all, Fehling describes his team as a sort of second family. He isn’t romanticising it: the pressure is certainly there, as are concentration and focus. But several of his key staff have been working with him for many years. This is particularly remarkable in an industry where staff retention has become one of the biggest challenges.

Fehling’s approach to leadership is perhaps best summed up by one sentence: “There is no such thing as perfection, but we will never stop striving for it.” Standing still seems to be harder for him than embracing change. The internal motto is accordingly: “Change is constant.” New dishes, small tweaks to the concept, new art, subtle nuances on the plates. Fehling does not want to rest on his laurels. This remains true even after years at the very highest level. It is no coincidence that the current MICHELIN Guide Germany 2026 awards The Table three stars.

One of the most interesting questions to emerge from our conversation is therefore: what would Kevin Fehling change if, tomorrow, there were no more reviews, restaurant guides or stars?

His answer:

Essentially nothing.

The drive for perfection, the passion and the creativity aren’t there simply because someone is rating the restaurant. That’s an important distinction. Awards can make a result visible. But they don’t replace the inner drive that makes that result possible in the first place.

At the same time, Fehling does not romanticise haute cuisine. The Table is not just a creative space, but a business. And Fehling has long since ceased to be solely a chef. That is precisely why, when asked what the greatest luxury of his restaurant is, he does not mention caviar, truffles or lobster. His greatest luxury is independence. Being able to make decisions. Choosing the crockery and glassware. Changing the restaurant. Buying art. Making creative decisions himself. “Having this freedom – simply being my own boss,” is how he describes it.

For Fehling, however, art is far more than mere decoration. He talks about his great affinity for it and about being able to keep changing the restaurant time and again. This is fitting for a host who does not define his restaurant solely by the food. Music, space, art, crockery, people and cuisine all come together to create the atmosphere. A perfect dish on its own does not make for a perfect evening.

Then there’s another side to Kevin Fehling outside his own restaurant. And I particularly like that detail. At lunchtime, he likes to spend an hour or two strolling through Hamburg. Often without any specific destination in mind. At some point, he’ll open a door somewhere and go for a meal, often on his own. He calls it one of his favourite pastimes. For someone whose working day consists of culinary precision, this is almost a lovely counterpoint: walking, looking around, deciding on the spur of the moment. Cuisine thus remains not just a profession; it remains a source of curiosity.

This is also evident in the ingredients he uses. When asked about underrated foods, Fehling mentions cod, of all things. Whilst turbot, John Dory and sea bass have traditionally played major roles in gourmet cuisine, he is fascinated by what can be achieved with a supposedly more ordinary fish. He also loves eel for its versatility: smoked, grilled, prepared Japanese-style as unagi, or paired with foie gras. It offers a glimpse into the mindset behind his cuisine: it is not the price of a product that determines its culinary significance. What matters is what a chef recognises in it.

Finally, we turn to the next generation. Fehling’s answer almost brings us full circle to the advice his mother once gave him. Have a goal. Believe in it. Develop discipline and ambition. And put it into practice. That sounds simple. Of course, it isn’t. Kevin Fehling seems less interested in constantly redefining what success means than in consistently working towards what he has once recognised as right for himself. Three Michelin stars are a visible result of this. The more interesting part is perhaps what lies behind it: the refusal to ever believe that one is finished.