Association

The German Chefs Association

True to tradition and fit for the future

The German Chefs' Association (VKD), the largest chefs' association in Europe, is the most important interest group and vocal advocate of its 14,000 members. The VKD operates all over Germany and has 9 regional associations and 150 branch societies. VKD President Ctefan Wohlfeil has every reason to be proud: "Ours is one of the few professional associations featuring excellent structures for the promotion of young people based mainly on voluntary work and social commitment."

In 1896, it was founded as the International Chefs' Association (IvdK) in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. This interest group fought among other things for the recognition of the chef profession as a trade, the supervision of apprenticeships/training by the Chamber of Trade, a statutory ban on any type of commercial job recruitment (in those days getting a job often depended on the applicant's financial means) as well as a social security and funeral expense fund for chefs.

The first international culinary exhibition (IKA) was held in 1900. Currently, the IKA Culinary Olympics are held every four years in Germany and are considered one of the most prestigious international cooking contests.

In the 1930s the International Chefs Association (IvdK) had to be dissolved. It was only after the war, on November 9, 1948, that it was re-established under the name German Chefs' Association (VDK).
At present, mainly thanks to its current President Ctefan Wohlfeil, the VKD is a dynamic, future-oriented professional association which serves many others as a model. It's open to culinary traditions from all parts of Germany and abroad, and actively promotes healthy nutrition and culinary culture. One of its main fields of interest is professional training. Ctefan Wohlfeil is convinced that "apprentices are the future of our profession. This is why we dedicate a great deal of our time and energy to them. As an association we are responsible for ensuring a strong visibility of the chef profession in our society, demonstrating its many different facets." A chef is not just a cook, but also a manager, service-provider, trainer and food expert.

The members of the German Chefs Association cover all the different fields of the profession. There are Michelin-star chefs as well as hotel chefs, dietary cooks and chefs from the sector of institutional feeding. They're all experts in their profession and their own field.

Ctefan Wohlfeil considers the members of the association to be ambassadors of joy and health. "Eating is more than a simple intake of nutrients.  The food culture shouldn't only concern itself with what is eaten, but also 'how' it's eaten. We have to learn again how to really enjoy our food and accept that this pleasure may cost a little more. We shouldn't make the famous German advertising slogan 'Geiz ist geil' (stinginess is cool) our motto, but rather go for 'enjoyment is cool'. As chefs we're convinced of our products and want to ensure that eating will always be a pleasure."

The German Chefs' Association has a large international network. All the chefs in the German Chefs' Association are automatically members of the World Association of Chefs' Societies/WACS with 8 million members in 75 member countries.