Joaquín Koerper was born 25th December 1952 under the sign of Capricorn in the city of Saarbrüchen, Germany.
He started out to study business, but soon his love of the kitchen took over.
He did his apprenticeship in the Hotels Falken (Konstanz) and Kempiski (Berlin).

From 1971 until 1990 he worked in the finest luxury hotels around Europe, cooking for well known
figures from the world of Politics, the art world and celebrities such as Caroline of Monaco, Gunter
Sachs, Maximilian Schell, Cristina Onassis and Niarchos von Opel.

In the 70`s he frequently travelled to sunny climates, sometimes to avoid the snow,…..so, it was not unusual to see him in Greece, Cerdeña or the French Coast. In a trip to españa, Joaquín completed his love for the south. He learned Spanish and became enchanted with the products of the Mediterranean, the tastes, the colours, and the aromas, for which, thanks to this he has become a grand master of the Mediterranean kitchen.

It was also during the 70´s that Joaquín Koerper participated in Gastronomic competitions and exhibitions in Germany which were enjoyed by renowned professionals of the German kitchen. As a result of his participation, Joaquin Koerper has in his show case 9 Gold Medals, 1 Silver, & 1 Bronze. In 1976 he was awarded the Gold Medal at the famous Culinary Olympiad in Frankfurt. This Gold Medal he considers his major triumph.

Joaquin Koerper has spent `Stages´ as a professional in prestigious restaurants such as:

• L´AMBROISIE DIRIGIDO POR BERNARD PACAUD (TRES ESTRELLAS MICHELÍN) DE PARÍS.
• MOULIN DE MOUGINS, DIRIGIDO POR EL CHEF ROGER VERGE EN LA COSTA FRANCESA (TRES ESTRELLAS MICHELÍN EN SU MOMENTO).
• GUY SAVOY PARIS (DOS ESTRELLAS MICHELÍN).
• HOSTELERIA DU CERF, EN MARLENHEIM DIRIGIDO POR ROBERT HUSSER (DOS ESTRELLAS MICHELÍN).
• AU CHAPON FIN, EN THOISSEY DIRIGIDO POR M. GILBERT BROYER (EN SU DÍA DOS ESTRELLAS MICHELÍN).
• ASSIETTE CHAMPANOISE, EN REIMS DIRIGIDO POR M. JEAN PIERRE LALLEMENT (EN SU DÍA UNA ESTRELLA MICHELÍN).

Joaquín Koerper always works with natural fresh products, as he likes to put it `Always use the products of the area in which you work´

Joaquín is a professional, disciplined as well as imaginative, capable of integrating in his kitchen, local ingredients
and adapting those from other areas. During a gastronomic occasion which took place in Valencia en 1984 before he lived in Spain, he discovered the ink from the squid and immediately introduced it in his recipes in the Restaurant Silvaplana, in St. Moritz.

The hotelier, Mettler, a prestigious professional in his field, was one of the people who inspired him to take over the running of the restaurant Girasol and to accept the challenge to conquer this distinguished gastronomic place.
After nine months running the Restaurant Girasol the Michelin Guide awarded it its first star. Three years later its second. Throughout the years it has retained the 2**

A year later, he was awarded first prize `Costa Blanca´ by the Department of Provincial Tourism of Fomento.
From the first day he worked in Costa Blanca he became head of the chefs in the Tourist Development Centre of Benidorm.
In 1997 the Provincial Tourism Board awarded the Restaurant Girasol a Silver Medal, corresponding to Premio Provincial al Mérito Turístico 1996

1999 Joaquín Koerper took part in the Gourmet Festival of St. Moritz, a well known event which takes place during the Winter Sports season. He received a lot of praise for his work as a chef. His creations have brought a Mediterranean touch to the winter countryside. In Autumn of the that year he worked in the Davidoff- Gourmet Festival of Sylt (Hotel Stadt , Hamburg) and also in Berlin (Rest. Hugenotten de Inter-Contis). In both events important chefs of the world took part.

May 2001 Joaquin Koerper was present at the “Stravaganza Mediterranea” a mix of fashion and good cooking which takes place in the Isle of Capri. At the end of February 2002 he demonstrated his enormous knowledge at the Davidoff-Gourmet Festival of Kitzbühel.

2002 The Gastronomic Guide “Gourmetour 2002” considered the Restaurant GIRASOL the “Mejor Restaurante del Año -” (Best Rest. Of the Year) with a rating of 9.25 out of 10

2004 The Restaurant GIRASOL was considered “Mejor servicio de mesa “ y “acogida de sala”

Advisor to the Restaurant Arambol, Hotel / Restaurante La Posada de la Casa del Abad de Ampudia (Palencia) since the year 2002 , the restaurant received its first Michelin star in 2005

2005 also saw the Restaurant Hotel Quinta das Lágrimas en Coimbra- Portugal awarded its first Michelin star under the banner of Joaquín Koerper.

In November 2004 he opened his Restaurant “Eleven” in the centre of Lisbon with enormous success in both attendance and critique.

Joaquín Koerper is also a member of :


· EURO TOQUES

He has been a member of:

· RELAIS & CHATEAUX

· TRADITIONS & QUALITÉ