Steffen Henssler on privacy and his new cookbook, Digi Mart USA News: In a new interview, TV chef Steffen Henssler spoke unusually openly about a subject he normally guards closely: his private life. The 54-year-old explained why he deliberately keeps personal matters out of the public eye and why he does not intend to change that.
Henssler also spoke about his approach to television, criticism of his style and his new cookbook. The book, “Best of Pasta Noodles Nudeln,” was recently published and features 57 noodle recipes from Italy, Asia and other parts of the world.
At the center of the conversation was his clear separation between work and private life. “Privat ist privat.
Das geht keinen was an,” which translates to “Private is private. That’s nobody’s business,” he told Playboy in the interview.
He said he realized early in his career that too much openness fuels interest in exactly those topics.
“I quickly realized at the start of my career: if you are too public about your private life, you feed the interest in it. And I also don’t want people to like me because they know what I do privately,” the chef said.
In his new book, Henssler offers a broad selection of noodle dishes from different kitchens. For classic Italian dishes in particular, he said he deliberately avoided adding a personal twist, instead trying to do justice to the original recipes and capture their typical flavor.
He also takes possible criticism from Italy in stride, saying he can live with headwind. Since he has been in the media, he noted, there have always been people who dislike something about him or his work.
He described his television role very directly. The VOX show “Grill den Henssler” thrives on having a host who wants to take on everyone, he said.
“My job is not to be the nicest person on television,” Henssler said in the interview. He attributes his strong ratings to saying what he thinks and not letting himself be confined by a narrow range of acceptable opinions.
He says he does not try to please everyone and considers friction with the audience acceptable.
Beyond television and the book, the chef also discussed his working style. Asked whether he is a control freak, he replied that he likes to work in great detail and was involved in his new book right down to its design.
His goal, he said, was for it to turn out really well.
Looking ahead, Henssler sounded determined: he could imagine wielding the cooking spoon until he has to hand it over. In spring 2027 he also goes on tour with the live show “Einmal alles, bitte!” The December issue of Playboy was published on November 5.
