André Cis was born in 1984 into a hotel and restaurant family where he gained experience in the hospitality industry from a very young age. After completing elementary and secondary school in East-Tyrol, in 1998 André was given the opportunity to earn a degree at one of Europe’s leading tourism and gastronomy academies, the “Villa Blanka” institute in Innsbruck. During five years of specialized education André was introduced to all the possible varieties of gastronomy and hotel-business. He developed an affinity towards fine dining and wine, following his passion and gaining knowledge and experience in these fields of expertise. Supported and challenged by masters and mentors as well as driven by his ambitions, André successfully concluded his training and education in 2003, graduating as bachelor of commerce and Sommelier. Back home André passed an obligatory and character-forming year of civil service at the “Lebenshilfe Tirol” institution, supporting mentally handicapped people. He took over the family business in 2005 and successfully transformed it into a boutique hotel and restaurant*, focused on wine and fine dining. Encouraged by friends and colleagues, he began his freelance journalism and consultancy firm in 2011.
In 2014 André Cis became a member of the first ever, Austrian culinary think-tank Koch.Campus. A year later, together with some of Alto Adige’s finest chefs Chris Oberhammer and Markus Holzer as well as East-Tyrolean gastronomic doyen Josef Mühlmann he did found the internationally operating, non profit organisation Culinaria Tirolensis. The association published it’s first book “Culinarium Tyrolensis – La cucina delle Dolomiti” in 2018.
André lives with his family in Kartitsch. Since 2004 he has been working in an honorary capacity for the Tyrolean Sommelier Association. He worked as well for more than 10 years for the Junior Chamber International, chapter Austria .
In 2021 he successfully passed the exam as Certified Sake Sommelier with merit. André is an alumnus of the acclaimed MAD-Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark (Leadership & Business for experienced students, class of 2021).
* Due to family-related reasons, restaurant operations have been suspended in 2018.
