Vita.

Origins and apprenticeship.

Raised in the tri-border region of Southern Baden — Lörrach, Grenzach, Basel within sight — Nicolai chose the kitchen early. From 2011 to 2014 he apprenticed at Restaurant Stucki in Basel, one of the most formative addresses in Swiss fine dining, with an uncompromising line on precision, clarity of flavour and discipline at the pass.

What he learned there stuck: a plate is less the product of an idea than the result of many small, tested decisions — from the produce all the way through to service.

Das Eckert.

In 2014 he took over the kitchen at Das Eckert in Grenzach-Wyhlen — a house that brings together restaurant and a 46-room hotel under one roof, on the German High Rhine, just a few kilometres from Basel. In 2018 he became Managing Partner, taking on entrepreneurial responsibility alongside the kitchen.

Das Eckert is open Wednesday through Friday and on Sunday for lunch and dinner; Saturdays for dinner only. It is run as part of the family-led WIO — Hotels & Restaurants, the group owned by the Wiedmer family.

Awards.

In 2017 the Guide Michelin awarded Das Eckert a star. The rating has been confirmed in every edition since. In parallel, the Gault & Millau lists the house with three red toques — a category in which the guide singles out particularly distinctive signatures.

Three toques mark not only technical command but a recognisable line, and the level is sparingly awarded in the German Southwest. The Michelin Star, in turn, has held in every annual edition since 2017 — by now part of the house itself, the standard every service is measured against.

Jeunes Restaurateurs.

Nicolai has been a member of the Jeunes Restaurateurs (JRE) since 2022 — a European association of award-winning, owner-run restaurants under the age of 40. In 2024 he was elected Vice President of JRE International. The international congress, which brings together members from across Europe, takes place every two years.

For him, the JRE is less an honorary post than a working platform: an exchange on concepts, produce and young crews — across borders, without grandstanding, with a clear stance.

In practice, the vice presidency is organisational rather than ceremonial. Member houses from Italy, France, Scandinavia and the Baltics bring topics to the table; the board shepherds the congress, the standards and the programme — a network of young owner-run restaurants that operates outside the usual logic of star rankings.

Kitchen profile.

His cooking moves along three axes: Asia, France and Southern Baden. French technique forms the craft backbone; Asian aromatics — acidity, heat, umami, fermented depths — set the line along which the dishes build their tension. Wherever possible, the produce comes from the Markgräflerland, the High Rhine, neighbouring Alsace and Northwestern Switzerland.

Honest, distinctive, led by acidity — those three words come closest to the intent. No show-cooking, no overwrought staging. The aim is to give a product its shape without ever working against it.

The product range follows the geography of the region. The Markgräflerland and the Kaiserstuhl provide wine and seasonal produce — asparagus, cherries, berries. The High Rhine offers fish such as char, pike and trout. Neighbouring Alsace adds poultry and game from the Vosges; Northwestern Switzerland contributes Jura cheeses and fresh-milk specialities. Das Eckert thus draws not from one region, but from several that converge within a short radius.

WIO — Hotels & Restaurants.

Das Eckert is part of WIO — Hotels & Restaurants, the family-led group of the Wiedmers. The group unites several houses and brands in the tri-border region under a shared stance — handcrafted, close to the product, without fanfare. As Managing Partner, Nicolai is responsible for Das Eckert; the group is run within the family.

Alongside Das Eckert, further brands shape the group: Schlotzeria, the ice-cream parlour in Grenzach; WIO-Catering, the group’s premium catering operation with reach across the tri-border region; and Say Cheese, the family’s cheese concept. An architecture in which each format has its own voice — and all hold to the same standard.