The Chef Thomas Koebel
and his staff
Introducing the Chef
Fascinated from an early age, Thomas served his time in several gastronomic Alsatian restaurants such as the Auberge du Cheval Blanc in Westhalten, Au Cygne in Gundershoffen and also at The Crocodile in Strasbourg. In 2015, he takes over the controls at the kitchen of the Secrets des Grands Express and in 2017, he obtained the title Maître Restaurateur (French official label).
In July 2019, this challenger par excellence agreed to rise the challenge of our gastronomic restaurant the Relais de la Poste: restore the nobiltiy of our house and he is off to conquer the Michelin star. Since then he drives his cooking staff leading them to excellence by granting his customers with new culinary experiences, improving every day his dishes to reach perfection.
Deeply convinced that quality of the dishes lies in the choice he makes with his ingredients, Thomas focuses on working exclusively fresh and seasonal products, as well as woking local products (links to “they accompagne us”) . He also focuses on the importance of transmission, may it be with his on staff on every day life or with the youth of the village, by organizing school trips dedicated to cooking and flavors.
Discover the seasonal menu
Thomas Koebel is an audacious and creative chef
What is your speciality, your star dish?
My signature dish is a pigeon crisp with foie gras. It consists in a pigeon breast with a slice of foie gras, wrapped around a green cabbage leaf, cooked in a filo pastry. But I am not going to expose all the secrets of my receipt , I suggest you to come and discover the dish in the Relais de la Poste where we serve this dish very regularly on the menu.
What calls you on in your daily mission?
Share my passion with my staff and my customers. In the kitchen, my brigade is full of ideas. We exchange a lot and I am eager to teach them technical tips. I am very pleased when customers feel the emotion and the passion we have put in our dishes and leave the table overwhelmed.
Where do you draw the inspiration from to suggest a new menu every 6 weeks?
My cooking art relies on local, fresh and seasonal products. Each season has is main products and I conceive my dishes according to what nature offers. That is the reason why the menus change sometime every 5 or 7 weeks. According to the weather conditions a given product might be available or not earlier or later that what we have planed.
The gastronomic restaurant’s squad
At Thomas Koebel’s side, a 10 people squad is at work to offer you a unique experience of gastronomy and flavors. No detail is left to chance and the professionalism of each member of the squad grants you a very high quality service at each and every turn over.
In the kitchen, the chef is supported by the second chef Léa Merkel. After 2 years in the kitchen of the Crocodile in Strasbourg, Léa joined the Relais de la Poste where her steady rise through the ranks made her to become the right hand of the chef Thomas Koebel. This pair endeavors to offer creative and gourmet dishes. Their cooperation is sealed with exchanging and sharing in order to surprise your taste buds by offering you a gastronomic break lasting a meal’s time.
In the dining room, Jonathan Wilson, head of the room and the cellar, supported by his team, stays at your side to guide you through the 700 directeur de salle et de la cave, et son équipe vous accompagnent tout au long de votre repas et vous guide parmi les 700 references of our wine list. This brillant epicurian and great connoisseur of world wines, takes you on a journey through the greatest wine estates and allows you to discover the discret chips produced by small vineyards. He offers you wise advice to make shore that your wine will perfectly enhance the flavors of your dishes.
