On this evening, the stage belonged entirely to our five apprentices and three dual students. The menu, drink pairings, table settings, and service were all independently planned and executed by them. This marked our very first "Nachwuchs-Takeover" (Youth Takeover) at Bonvivant. It provided a practical demonstration of how modern, high-end gastronomy thrives when you cast off old baggage, dismantle rigid hierarchies, and hand over genuine responsibility to the next generation.
A Gastronomy Apprenticeship Nightmare? Why We Are Dispelling the Old Horror Stories
The hospitality industry suffers from a massive image problem, and let's be honest: the industry worked hard to earn it. Choler-driven chefs, unpaid overtime, a harsh military tone, and the lingering feeling of being nothing more than a low-level helper in your first year, polishing glasses for hours, chopping onions, or sweeping the cellar.Anyone considering an apprenticeship or a degree program within a restaurant immediately pictures these old horror stories. We can all see the consequences: a severe shortage of new talent across the entire sector, simply because young individuals rightfully refuse to endure this level of mental and physical toll any longer.
At Bonvivant, we deliberately break away from this outdated system. When you begin an apprenticeship or start a dual study program with us, you are not signing a contract for a boot camp. We do not just pitch this as an empty promise in a job advertisement; we live it every single working day in our Schöneberg restaurant. For us, contemporary training means clearing out the toxic, stagnant air of the past to make room for genuine passion for the craft. We focus heavily on teamwork to prepare the next generation for the real culinary future.
Why Do We Train and Educate in the First Place?
We do not train people just to have cheap labor to handle unpopular tasks or patch up holes in the shift schedule. We train people because we want to actively shape and transform the gastronomy of tomorrow. The industry desperately needs proactive doers, unconventional thinkers, and empathetic personalities who can prove that premium gastronomy works beautifully without exploitation, fear, and psychological pressure.At our core, every single idea and opinion from our team members is valued. Anyone and everyone can contribute to streamlining workflows, boosting our eco-friendliness, or looking at things from a fresh perspective, your rank does not matter at all.
Owner Jules Winnfield puts it perfectly:
“We are closing a gap in vocational school education, which has essentially remained stuck in the 1960s. To this day, vocational schools still offer no specialized focus on vegetarian or vegan cuisine. Fish terrines, meat, classic desserts, that is what is taught, but it simply no longer reflects the reality of what modern gastronomy actually is.”Our goal is to provide the next generation with a rock-solid foundation, a critical mindset, and contemporary tools. We are educating the future leaders who will make the hospitality sector more sustainable.
How Do We Train? Kitchen, Bar, and Service as a Single Unit
In many traditional establishments, an invisible yet razor-sharp boundary exists: the kitchen is over here, the service front is over there, and the bar sits somewhere isolated in between. Staff often work alongside one another rather than truly with each other. At Bonvivant, things run differently because our purely plant-based concept only functions as a seamlessly interconnected masterpiece.From day one, our kitchen trainees learn the absolute ultimate discipline of modern haute cuisine: how to extract maximum flavor from plant-based ingredients. With us, you do not learn how to sear a standard piece of meat. Instead, you master how to elevate regional vegetables through fermentation, reduction, and holistic culinary practices to make them the undisputed star of a Michelin-starred plate. We cook primarily with ingredients sourced directly from Brandenburg and follow the seasons strictly, utilizing everything from root to leaf.
At the same time, our talents in service and behind the bar learn far more than just flawless serving techniques. Our apprentices study flavor profiles in depth. They learn how to create complex, non-alcoholic pairings, tailor-made Liquid Pairings, that truly complete a Michelin-level tasting menu. Everyone is expected to understand the intricate work of their colleagues. Only when the service team appreciates how many hours of labor went into the kitchen’s reductions, and the kitchen understands how vital the balance of acidity, sweetness, and aroma is at the bar, do all the cogs turn perfectly for the guest.
What Sets Us Apart from Other Training Institutions?
The single biggest difference is the trust and operational freedom we give our trainees right from the start. Here, dual students (specializing in fields like Culinary Management or Marketing) do not sit tucked away in a back room staring at dry Excel spreadsheets. They experience every operational station firsthand in the heat of daily service to grasp the business from the ground up. After all, only someone who has felt the energy of a busy Saturday night serving guests or managing the pass can later optimize corporate processes and lead teams healthily.We integrate our upcoming talent into genuine management projects early on. The preparation behind our Nachwuchs-Takeover is the ultimate example. The team independently conceptualizes a completely vegan 4-course menu, including an amuse-bouche and petit fours. They research which regional products are currently in season, experiment with textures and flavor combinations in the kitchen, and conduct tastings alongside the bar apprentices. Based on those results, the beverage pairings, both alcoholic and complexly non-alcoholic, are developed. The dual students calculate food costs, negotiate pricing with suppliers, and write the exact operational timeline. On the night itself, the regular core management team does not interfere; the next generation holds full responsibility.
What Matters Most to Us? People Over Resumes
We value personality, character, and authentic individual growth far more than flawless, streamlined resumes. True diversity within our team is incredibly important to us. This was beautifully demonstrated during one of our first youth dinners, where an older apprentice stepped into the spotlight: Till, who decided to pursue a culinary apprenticeship later in life, stood confidently at the stove during the takeover. He delivered a spectacular, character-driven course with his signature creation "Tomate von Till" (Till's Tomato); a beautifully balanced harmony of date tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, kombu seaweed, and goat cheese.This real-world example proves that at Bonvivant, a passion for the craft has absolutely nothing to do with age or having a perfect background. Alongside career-changers like Till, our youngest apprentices and dual students consistently outgrow their own expectations during these events. When the entire team in service and at the bar works hand in hand to pull off an event of this scale, theoretical knowledge transforms instantly into vivid, lived experience.
With us, every single person is valued as an individual, regardless of their apprenticeship year, their degree program, or their past. If you bring curiosity, a willingness to learn, and genuine dedication, you will find the freedom to truly unfold your potential here.
What Do We Do Differently? Error Culture and Real Mentoring
In traditional gastronomy, perfection is all too often enforced through sheer pressure. At Bonvivant, we choose a focused yet relaxed, familial workspace built on mutual respect. We firmly believe that fear paralyzes creativity. Owner Jules Winnfield follows a very transparent philosophy: “To this day, there is no rulebook stating exactly what I expect. I want everyone to bring their own ideas to the table. The most important thing is that it never becomes boring.” Monotonous repetition, after all, suffocates true passion.Jules Winnfield unifies this vision:
“We are fully committed to sustainable personnel management. It is vital to us to support our upcoming talents in every single area and continuously offer them opportunities to evolve. This dinner is designed to prove to them that we wholeheartedly trust them with managing the entire evening.”Our apprentices receive real responsibility very early on. And yes, things are allowed to go wrong along the way. If a reduction is pushed a bit too far in a stressful moment or a dough ends up over-salted, nobody gets shouted at. The only thing that matters is sitting down together as equals afterward to analyze why it happened and how to handle it better next time. That is what real mentoring looks like. For us, this is inextricably linked to fair daily personnel management in our Schöneberg location: transparent digital time tracking, fair compensation, and absolute respect for our team’s free time and mental health are completely non-negotiable.
The Michelin-Starred Brunch: The Ultimate Training Ground for Agility
An incredibly unique and valuable learning environment for our entire youth team is our famous, entirely vegan brunch, served from Friday through Sunday. While the evening fine-dining service usually follows a highly structured, almost ritualistic choreography, our brunch is pure, dynamic action. As Germany’s only fully vegan brunch operating at this culinary tier, the vibrant neighborhood energy hits the restaurant unfiltered.The pace is exceptionally fast, guest requests are diverse, and the entire team at the pass, behind the bar, and on the floor must remain highly flexible and agile. For our trainees, it is the best school imaginable: you naturally learn to keep a clear head under intense pressure, communicate rapidly within the team, and still deliver the intricate aesthetics and high culinary standards of a Michelin-starred establishment straight to the table. Mastering this service gives our team an unshakeable confidence when interacting with guests.
A Direct Comparison at a Glance
Our approach systematically patches the holes left by traditional vocational programs and radically breaks down the isolated structures of old-school establishments.| Area | Traditional Gastronomy Apprenticeship | Apprenticeship & Studies at Bonvivant |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen & Culinary Arts | Heavy focus on meat/fish with rigid, outdated curriculum patterns. | Plant-based fine dining, fermentation, and forward-thinking techniques. |
| Service & Bar | Mechanical serving, polishing glassware, strict separation of departments. | Independent station management, storytelling at the table, and creating complex Liquid Pairings. |
| Dual Study Program | Often purely theoretical; focus on spreadsheets and office work without floor practice. | Perfect integration of theory and practice, early project leadership, and running live events. |
| Error Culture | Military tone, strict top-down hierarchies, and immense pressure to avoid mistakes. | Constructive mentoring and viewing mistakes as a vital learning process on eye level. |
Outlook: Nachwuchs Takeover Vol. 3 - Early June 2026
The fact that this concept is highly successful and that our team grows with every challenge will soon be proven live on the floor once again. At the beginning of this June, our next massive highlight arrives: The **Nachwuchs Takeover Vol. 3** will take place on **Wednesday, June 10, and Thursday, June 11, 2026**. On these two exclusive evenings, our upcoming talents will completely assume control of the restaurant. They will serve guests an entirely self-created, fully vegan 4-course dinner, including an amuse-bouche and petit fours, for €89 per person. The accompanying beverage pairing, meticulously selected by the youth team (available with or without alcohol), is offered at €49.Seating for this exclusive takeover at our communal tables is strictly limited to 60 guests per night. This event is not a simulated mock exam; it is a genuine, high-stakes milestone in their education where these young professionals prove that culinary passion is absolutely not a matter of years on a resume.
Shape the Gastronomy of Tomorrow with Us
Sustainable, plant-based fine dining combined with fair, respectful personnel management are not passing trends, they represent the structural future of our entire industry. If you master this craft with us today at an elite level, you gain a foundation that allows you to actively redefine the hospitality world tomorrow.Are you ready to learn the craft from a completely fresh perspective and take on real responsibility right from the start? Simply send us an informal email with a few lines about yourself and your resume to bewerbung@bonvivant.berlin. Getting to know you personally during a trial shift at the restaurant is a thousand times more valuable to us than a long, overly polished cover letter.
Let’s revolutionize gastronomy together. - Bonvivant
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be vegan or vegetarian myself to work with you?No, absolutely not. That is a very common myth. Several members of our team do not follow a vegan or vegetarian diet in their private lives. Your personal dietary choices do not matter to us at all. The only thing we care about is that you treat plant-based ingredients with the exact same artisanal respect, curiosity, and ambition that a traditional restaurant applies to meat or fish.
What kind of apprenticeship and degree paths can I pursue at Bonvivant?
We offer fully state-recognized, classic dual apprenticeships for Chefs and Restaurant Management Professionals (m/f/d). Additionally, we provide dedicated slots for dual students who complete their Bachelor’s degrees through our partner universities (such as the iba) in programs like Gastronomy Management, Marketing, or Culinary Management, linking dry academic theory straight to our vibrant Michelin-starred practice.
What differentiates a dual study program at Bonvivant from large hotel chains?
With us, you are never an anonymous number in a massive corporate office rotating through rigid corporate schedules. You experience every real, high-energy operational station on the floor and work directly alongside the executive management. You learn firsthand and transparently how to profitably budget an independent, Michelin-starred business, how authentic neighborhood marketing operates, and how to execute modern personnel management completely free of corporate bureaucracy.
What does the application process look like?
Fast, direct, and straightforward. Just send a brief email to bewerbung@bonvivant.berlin enclosing your resume and a few sentences about your motivation. If we are on the same page, we will invite you straight to Schöneberg for a trial shift. That is the fastest, real-world way for both of us to see if the vibe is right and if we match perfectly.