Juan de la Cruz Amador Perez, as the German top restaurateur is called in full, was born in 1968 in the Swabian district of Strümpfelbach near Stuttgart.

From 1985 to 1988, the son of Catalan-Andalusian parents completed an apprenticeship as a chef at the Gasthof Lamm in Weinstadt, followed by periods at the Alter Wirt in Grünwald near Munich, and the Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe in the Black Forest. Juan Amador earned his first Michelin star as chef de cuisine at the PETERSILIE restaurant in Lüdenscheid in 1993 when he was just 25 years old, and has been listed in the Michelin Guide without interruption ever since. In 2004 the top restaurateur opened his first restaurant at the age of 35, the AMADOR in Langen near Frankfurt, which was awarded 3 stars for the first time in 2007.  

In 2015 the celebrity chef moved to Singapore, where he opened the restaurant ALMA by Juan Amador at the Goodwood Park Hotel in the same year. It was to be love that brought him back to Europe, more precisely to Vienna. Soon afterwards, professional success followed private happiness. In a historic Grinzing cellar vault in the 19th district, Amador created a true jewel of the gastronomic scene. The restaurant, initially opened as Amador’s Wirtshaus & Greißlerei, became the AMADOR restaurant a few months later, which is now known far beyond Austria’s borders, and was awarded 3 toques and 2 stars in its first year.

In 2019, Juan Amador became the first restaurateur in Austria to be awarded a third Michelin star. The AMADOR is, according to Michelin’s definition of three stars, worth a visit for its unique cuisine. Guests from all over the world are now responding to this call.  

The fact that Juan Amador is now one of the fixed stars in high-end gastronomy is undoubtedly due to his ambition and great discipline. He combines his distinctive creativity and his wealth of experience to create his unmistakable unique style.

With an urge to keep developing all the time, the thoroughbred chef continues to surprise with new creations alongside his classic signature dishes. Influences from all over the world combined with a certain regionality in the ingredients make his culinary work an art.

Juan Amador gets the necessary inspiration for this not only on his numerous journeys, however, but also through music. His famous signature dessert Brick in the Wall, for example, was inspired by the Pink Floyd song of the same name. 

However, variety is not only important for Amador in the dishes, but also in every glass. The wine cellar in the AMADOR restaurant contains around 1,200 examples of the finest wines from all over the world as well as a comprehensive, prestigious collection of champagne. 

Juan Amador has been a brand ambassador for Lavazza since 2020.