Volker Mehl has an incredibly skilled, versatile, authentic and warm personality.
Born in Mannheim, Germany, in 1976, Volker Mehl was already playing “restaurant” as a child in his home, cooking for his parents. Today, Volker Mehl is a bestselling author and Yin Yoga teacher. He has written 13 books, with 2 more underway, and has twice won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the “Best Indian Cuisine in Germany” category. His book, co-authored with well-known Dr. Dietrich Grönemeyer, quickly became a Spiegel bestseller.
Volker Mehl is in the press, on the radio, TV and Internet, and after many trips and eventful years abroad, he has now returned to his South Hessian home. Together with his wife Anke Pachauer, who is also an author and Yoga teacher, he runs a cooking school and Ayurveda academy in Heppenheim as well as an Ayurveda restaurant in Reichelsheim in the Odenwald.
In his free time, Volker relaxes in nature, taking long walks in the forest, preferably with Anke and their Irish pony Fionn.
In November 2022, Volker launched a unique Germany-wide pilot project in cooperation with the Emmaus Hospice in St. Wendel. It integrates the concept of Ayurveda into both meal preparation and patient care. Twice a week, Volker cooks on site for the guests and takes the time to train the nursing staff in Ayurveda. In addition to the project in St. Wendel, Volker devotes himself to the “Nestwärme” outpatient children’s hospice in Trier. This work is particularly near and dear to him, as his father’s cancer diagnosis in 1990 and subsequent death in 2001 were key moments for him on his personal Ayurveda journey. With his work in these institutions, he seeks to contribute to enhancing the lives of critically ill people and to introduce the concept of Ayurveda in areas he believes are essential.
That’s not all we admire about Volker; we also appreciate how he loves and breathes Ayurveda, and the way he so easily conveys Ayurveda to people in his cheerful, relaxed and down-to-earth manner.
You can look forward to cooking with Volker Mehl on 13 May at our big Ayurveda Health & Wellness Day.