JULiA A. LEiTNER is the Head Chef at Berlin’s two-star restaurant CODA. A position she has earned through immense passion, talent, and sheer determination. Her career is rooted in the craft of artisanal pastry; a love for patisserie was there from the very start. What drives and inspires her to this day is the delicate interplay of textures, temperatures, and aromas – always with the ambition to push boundaries and create new experiences for her guests.

A fixture at CODA since day one, Julia continues to work closely with René Frank. It was here that she learned how to bring depth and umami into desserts and how to think far beyond classical categories. She runs the kitchen, organizes operations, and leads the team – embodying exactly what she loves about her profession: taking responsibility, communicating openly, and passing on knowledge. Her signature style combines perfection with curiosity, and her daily motivation is to never rest on past achievements.

"Alright team, let’s go, good service!"

Julia’s professional journey began in 2007 with her training as a pastry chef, which laid the foundation for everything that followed. She gained her first experiences in renowned establishments in Lech am Arlberg, including the Almhof Schneider. Subsequently, at Restaurant Simon Taxacher in Tyrol, she learned the true meaning of absolute precision in her craft: taste, consistency, temperature – every detail on the plate must be flawless.

Another defining station in her career was The Clove Club in London, one of the UK’s leading fine-dining restaurants and holder of two Michelin stars. There, Julia immersed herself in a highly professional, international environment and experienced the dynamism of one of Europe’s most exciting culinary scenes.

Despite Julia’s professional experiences outside of Austria, her bond with her homeland remains unbroken. Several times a year, she is drawn back – to family, friends, the mountains, and skiing. But above all, she returns for the quality of the produce: fruit and vegetables from her own garden, artisanal foods, and a family farm with small-scale, pasture-raised Angus cattle. This innate understanding of origin, freshness, and appreciation for ingredients continues to shape her culinary perspective today.

“If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it right.”

Julia A. Leitner is one of the few female chefs to have truly established herself in top-tier gastronomy. Over the years, her work has received numerous accolades – honoring both her individual skill and her shared successes with CODA.