From bistro counter to head chef at ACHAT Hotel Monschau

From the counter of a small bistro to running a hotel kitchen: Nikolaos Soulios became a chef more or less by chance. Today, almost 30 years later, he heads the kitchen at ACHAT Hotel Monschau in the Eifel. Behind it is a head chef with Greek roots, a passion for rock music and a clear idea of what good teamwork looks like.

A pizza and a missing cook

Nikolaos Soulios never actually set out to become a chef. In the mid-1990s he came to Germany from Greece with his mother and brother. He started out working behind the counter of a small bistro. When the cook failed to turn up one day, he was asked whether he could make pizza. What began as filling in on the spur of the moment became his profession.

Soulios has worked in hospitality since 1997. He gained experience in Germany and Greece, developed his own style and got to know the many sides of everyday kitchen life. On 1 June 2026 he took over as head of the kitchen at ACHAT Hotel Monschau. Looking back on almost three decades in the trade does not mean he thinks he has nothing left to learn. “Even after almost 30 years, I learn something new every day. You should never think you already know it all.”

His new workplace lies in the Eifel, just a few minutes’ walk from Monschau’s historic old town. ACHAT Hotel has 99 rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a wellness area with a swimming pool and sauna. There are also six meeting rooms, which make it attractive to business travellers and groups as well.¹ For the kitchen, that means a wide range of tasks: breakfast, group catering, half board and the regular evening service all have to be organised.

A hotel kitchen works like a rock band

Ask Nikolaos Soulios about his personal style and you will quickly hear about two things: Greece and rock music. For him, both are an inseparable part of who he is. His Greek roots and his many years in Germany have shaped him. “I like to say, with a wink: in my head I’ve become pretty German by now, but my Greek heart remains.”

Musically, his heart beats above all for rock. Soulios associates it with freedom, energy and individuality. In the kitchen, too, he likes to draw inspiration from other chefs and restaurants, but always wants to turn it into something of his own. Good ingredients, bold flavours and a personal signature matter more to him than simply copying other people’s ideas.

In the day-to-day running of the kitchen, leadership for him is above all about respect, honesty, fairness and loyalty. On stressful days in particular, everyone has to be able to rely on each other. “For me, a kitchen works like a rock band: everyone has their part, but in the end it’s the interplay that counts.”

That is not a bad description of working in a hotel restaurant. After all, it is not enough for individual staff to master their craft. Preparation, kitchen and service all have to work in tune. For Soulios, that includes giving credit for good work not just to the head chef but to the whole team. “When our team does good work, the guests are happy and the hotel is successful, we all benefit.”

Back to the menu

When Soulios took over the kitchen, it was initially run on a buffet concept. Over his first few months, however, he noticed that some guests wanted something different: not just to eat from a set offer, but to decide on the spot what they fancied. For the head chef, that was reason enough to change the concept.

“But I noticed that many guests would rather drop in spontaneously and decide for themselves what they eat. That’s why I launched our à la carte offer on 1 October.”

Since then, the menu has once again featured starters, soups, meat and fish dishes, vegetarian options and desserts, complemented by seasonal dishes. Half-board guests benefit from the change too, as they can now choose their meals more individually. The previous catering concept has not simply been scrapped, but extended with more choice.

The first reactions are encouraging. “The response has been very positive, and that makes me proud.”

Breakfast, groups and à la carte – all from one kitchen

The real challenge, though, begins behind the kitchen doors. While à la carte guests order their dishes individually, the processes for groups and half board have to keep running at the same time. And the next morning, breakfast is already waiting. For a hotel kitchen, that means varied demands, fluctuating guest numbers and a working day that cannot always be planned in full.

Soulios therefore relies on clear organisation. “With good planning, clear roles and a team that sticks together,” is his answer to the question of how all these different tasks can be managed. Processes have been adapted so that the additional offer fits into day-to-day hotel operations. The head chef does not hide the difficulties: especially when the hotel is busy or staff are short, the strain can be considerable.

The example shows what matters when a hotel expands its food offer. A new menu on its own is not enough. Preparation, division of tasks and teamwork all have to fit the concept. The pictures from the Monschau kitchen give an impression of this: rows of plated starters, soups ready to go and several plates of risotto waiting before they make their way to the guests.

For Soulios, speed is not the only thing that counts. “It’s important to me that nobody feels they are being processed. Our guests should feel welcome, enjoy their food and want to come back.” That, he believes, is the difference between a kitchen that simply gets food out and a restaurant visit that guests remember fondly.

There is more behind every plate than guests see

The photographs from Monschau show a wide variety of dishes: salmon carpaccio with salad and sprouts, burrata with oven-roasted tomatoes and pesto, creamy gnocchi in a mushroom sauce, and desserts with berries and vanilla sauce. Then there are shots from the kitchen in which several portions are being prepared at once. They show two sides of the same job: carefully plating a single dish and organising a large number of orders.

Soulios would like guests to appreciate at least a little of this effort. “Behind every plate there’s a lot of preparation, craft and heart.” For him, cooking does not mean simply reheating food. It is about using good ingredients and skilled work to create an enjoyable experience.

The head chef knows that tastes differ. Not every guest will be equally delighted by every dish. That is why the way he handles feedback matters to him too. He wants to take criticism seriously and learn from it. Praise and returning guests are, for him, a special confirmation of his work.

At the end of the year, the buffet returns

Incidentally, the return to à la carte does not mean that buffets will disappear from the Monschau kitchen for good. For Christmas 2026, Soulios is already planning a festive buffet. New Year is taken care of as well: on New Year’s Eve there is to be an event with music and fireworks.

The hotel is therefore continuing to rely on different dining formats depending on the occasion and on what guests expect: à la carte for individual choice at dinner, buffets for special events, and suitable solutions for groups and half-board guests.

For other hoteliers, there is an interesting idea here: restaurant concepts do not necessarily have to follow a single pattern. At ACHAT Hotel Monschau, Soulios is trying to combine different offers without losing sight of the kitchen’s day-to-day reality.

That the human side matters so much to him fits his own story. A spontaneous question in a small bistro turned into a career of almost 30 years in hospitality. Today, as head of the kitchen, Nikolaos Soulios faces new challenges – and has kept his enthusiasm for the job.

“And anyone who knows me knows: there has to be a bit of rock! That’s just who I am, Rockchef Niko – passion at the stove and rock ’n’ roll in my heart!”