After 10 years of living here, the list of local restaurants in Munich I enjoy is already quite long. Still, there’s always room for new recommendations. During my sister’s wedding, my cousin made some. She had seen a Youtuber, “Schmiddi Schmeckts,” gather tips from Michelin-starred chefs in the city for a day, then try their favorite casual spots.
At the start of the video, Schmiddi admits to, for once, having actually prepared for the day’s shoot by sending his target chefs messages in advance. Why? “You don’t just randomly bump into a Michelin-starred chef on the street every day.” Except, less than a minute later, that’s exactly what happens.
As we watch Schmiddi approach JAN, the fastest German restaurant ever to achieve three Michelin stars, which it did in just six months, the owner, Jan Hartwig, literally strolls along the sidewalk in front of him. Even Schmiddi can’t believe his luck: “Oh my god, that’s him!” He rushes over, explains his request, and another minute later, he has his recommendation: Weinhaus Neuner, Munich’s oldest wine bar.
For an influencer like Schmiddi, I imagine chance encounters are quite common. Yet, this one caught even him off guard. And since approaching strangers for a living sounds like a personal nightmare to me, I appreciate not just Schmiddi’s public service, but his courage and the timeless theme underneath it: He who dares wins.
Head out, and give the world a try. The odds might be better than you think.
