Biography
The Story Of Sandy Bohm
Sandy Bohm was born in 1975 in Zehdenick, Brandenburg. His earliest food memories go back to Sunday evenings preparing pan-fried potatoes together with his grandfather.
After finishing school in 1992 his biggest dream was to become a professional chef. Due to a heavy car accident in the late 80s his doctor advised against this profession. Therefore, Sandy made an apprenticeship as office clerk which he finished successfully in 1996.
Afterwards he joined the army for 1 year of military service.
Then his dream became true and he started his second apprenticeship as Cook, which he finished in December 1999.
His first job was at the Astron Hotel Alexander Platz in Berlin as Commis de Cuisine. Unfortunately, the position did not fulfil his expectations as he wanted to be a “real” cook. After 6 months he decided to leave and started as Commis de Cuisine at the Käfer Berlin Dachgarten Restaurant Deutscher Bundestag.
In April 2001 he received an offer from Norway as Chef de Party which he happily accepted for one summer season. Afterwards various stations followed as Chef de Partie at Vila Vita Hotel in Portugal, Dorint Blümlisalp Switzerland, Gausdal Høifjellshotel Norway and Metropole Interlaken, Switzerland.
End of 2004 Sandy Bohm wanted to discover more of the culinary world. He moved to the UK and started at Gravetye Manor which had 1-star Michelin 4 AA Rosettes in East Grinstead, West Sussex as Senior Chef de Partie under Mark Raffan. Then he moved on to his first Sous Chef position at Harrods Knightsbridge in London followed by a Sous Chef position under Andrew Turner at the Pennyhill Park Hotel with a 1-star Michelin restaurant in Bagshot, Surrey.
In summer 2007 he took on the challenge to work with Executive Chef Bernhard Meyer as Sous Chef at the Four Seasons London, where he got promoted as Chef de Cuisine after 3 months. At the end of 2008 the hotel has been closed temporarily for complete refurbishment. Sandy transferred to the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto in the United States.
In 2009 Sandy got the offer to work as Executive Chef at the exclusive island resort Frégate Island, Seychelles. After 10 months he le ft this beautiful and remote island to start his culinary Master in Germany.
Once finished he received the offer to open the originally Ukraina Hotel Moscow / Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow under the management of Wolfgang Nitschke. After nearly 3 years Sandy decided to take a break and enjoy some quality time with his new born son.
In Summer 2013 Sandy received the offer to open the Le Meridien Zhengzhou in China. Unfortunately, the life circumstances were not right for his little son and he returned back to Germany where he accepted a Freelancer contract for 6 months to develop the culinary department of the Furama Resort Danang in Vietnam.
Returning back to Leipzig Germany Sandy planned to take a time out for 1 year to enjoy some quality time with his family. But as we all know things sometimes turn out different then planned and he was offered the position as Executive Chef in December 2014 at the Steigenberger Grandhotel Handelshof in Leipzig, which is part of Deutsche Hospitality. In 2017 he got promoted as Culinary Director and is still enjoying his time in Leipzig.
The History Of Sandy
July 1975
Born in East Germay
August 1992
High school graduation
August 1996
Completion of training as office clerk
November 1996 – October 1997
Military Service
December 1999
Completion of training as cook
January 2000
Commis de Cousine Astron Hotel Alexander Platz
July 2000 – April 2001
Commis de Cousine Käfer Berlin, Deutscher Bundestag,
Berlin, Germany
April – September 2001
Chef de Partie, Hotel Loenfjørd, Loen, Norway
4 Star Hotel
October 2001 – April 2002
Chef de Partie Vila Vita Parc, Portugal
5 Star Hotel
Mai 2002 – October 2002
Chef de Partie Dorint Hotel Blüemlisalp, Beatenberg, Switzerland
4 Star Hotel
December 2002 – April 2004
Chef de Partie Gausdal Høifjellshotel, Gausdal, Norway
4 Star Plus Hotel
May 2004 – October 2004
Chef de Partie Metropole Hotel, Interlaken, Switzerland
4 Star Hotel
November 2004 – November 2005
Senior Chef de Partie Gravetye Manor Hotel, East Grinstead / UK
Relais & Chateaux, 4 AA Rosettes, 1 Star Michelin
November 2005 – May 2006
Sous Chef Harrods Knightsbridge, London / UK
May 2006 – June 2007
Sous Chef Pennyhill Park Hotel, Bagshot / UK
5 Red Star Hotel, 5 AA Rosettes, 1 Star Michelin
June 2007 – Dezember 2008
Chef de Cuisine, Four Seasons Hotel, London / UK
5 Star Hotel, Leading Hotel of the World
Chef de Cuisine Four Seasons Hotel / Silicon Valley / USA
March 2009 – December 2009
Executive Chef Frégate Island Private, Seychelles
Luxurious Private 5 Star Hotel Resort
January 2010 – July 2010
Diploma as state approved Master Chef / Rostock / Germany
July 2010 – March 2013
Executive Chef Ukraina Hotel / Radisson Royal Moscow / Russia
5 Star Luxury Hotel
June 2013 – December 2013
Pre-opening Executive Chef / Le Méridien Hotel / Zhengzhou City / China
5 Star Hotel Luxury Hotel
April 2014 – August 2013
Executive Chef, Furama Resort & Villas, Danang, Vietnam
5 Star Hotel Luxury Hotel
December 2014 – October 2020
Culinary Director / Steigenberger Grandhotel Handelshof Leipzig / Germay
5 Star Hotel Luxury Hotel
A Look At The Organization In A Daily Hotel And Restaurant Operation
Kitchen Hierachy
Culinary Director
Overall responsibility for all outlets and food quality, management, hiring & firing of kitchen and stewarding staff, food costs & menu development.
Chef de Cuisine / Head Chef
Is the right hand off he Culinary Director he takes the responsible of the restaurant and all outlets if the culinary director is not present
Sous Chef
Capable of all duties in the kitchen: link from Culinary Director and Chef de Cuisine to the rest of the team. Needs least seven years of working & cooking experience.
Chef de partie
Runs and organises a section (i.e. Poissonnier, Saucier or Entremetier) and responsible for cooking to the standard required for teaching other minor chefs their tasks. Usually needs a minimum of five years working experience.
Demi Chef De Partie
Has the ability to cook at Chef de Partie level, but needs more experience to take on this responsibility.
First Commis De Cuisine
A major step on the ladder. Can be left to cook and present food.
Commis De Cuisine
Mostly preparation. Nothing cooked or prepared will go unchecked, a work horse.
Apprentice
The first step. A traditional apprenticeship with a good head chef as a mentor is unbeatable. three years of hard graft – expect the jobs no one wants.
Kitchen Porter
Without the porter the kitchen just doesn’t run well. Good cooking starts with a clean pan.
Front Of House Hierachy
Food & Beverage Manager
Responsible for all front of house, staff management, health & safety, customer relations, reservations, recruitment. Needs two languages at least.
Assistant Food & Beverage Manager Manager
Cover for manager, specific responsibilities given for laundry, cleaning crockery, stocks etc, and for staff rotas.
Maitre d’hotel
In charge of a ‚carré‘ or a section of the dining room, with two or three more junior staff. Takes orders from customers, capable of carving, controls speed of service. Needs presence and strong character.
Chef de rang
Can take orders from clients and expected to take responsibility. Has all the skills but needs more customer relations experience to take the next step.
Demi chef de rang
Too young to become chef de rang; needs more experience to gain the confidence that will provide assurance to the diners.
Commis de rang
A lot of polishing, laying tables, cleaning and basic work. Vital that it’s done properly.
Food Runner
Carries out the important but menial task of delivering trays of food to the right table. Usually not looking at making a career out of waiting.
Kitchen Porter
Vitally important. A good one saves you money from fewer breakages and makes sure everything is spotless.