Klaus Helmin
Tivoli Restaurant
Rosslyn VA
http://www.tivolirestaurant.net
Klaus Helmin grew up in Berlin just after World War II, so his early childhood food memories are not what enticed him into the culinary world. “My mother prepared plain German food. Because of the war, we only had access to the bare essentials,” he says. This could explain why Helmin gravitated towards Northern Italian cuisine, which he has been creating as executive chef of the critically acclaimed Tivoli Restaurant since 1983.
With its combination of stunning interior design and Helmin’s cooking expertise, Tivoli has made the northern Virginia business enclave of Rosslyn, not normally noted for its after-business-hours appeal, a Mecca for lunch and dinner crowds. Commenting on the restaurant’s décor, one critic noted that “in Tivoli’s dramatically mirrored third story dining room, the tables are set in niches, corners, and at angles so that diners in the 175 seats have both a sense of privacy and of being right in the middle of the party.”
The restaurant focuses on innovative Italian fare, and Helmin’s signature dishes include Terrina di Piccione e Funghi Selvatici (Terrine of Squab Breast and Wild Mushrooms) and Coniglio in Umido alle Olive Nere (Braised Rabbit with Black Olives), as well as his Crepes with Oranges.
After graduating in 1957 from the Hotel and Restaurant School in Berlin, Helmin came to the United States to work in Wichita, Kansas, at the Broadview Hotel. In 1963, he opened the Washington Hilton Hotel as the executive sous-chef, and later became a partner in the Restaurant Corporation of America, which operated the Watergate Restaurant, Les Champs Restaurant, and the Watergate Pastry Shop. After selling his share of the corporation, Helmin, along with several colleagues, founded the American Restaurant Corporation, which operate Tivoli Restaurant, two Tivoli Gourmet shops, and the Watergate Pastry Shop. Tivoli Restaurant provides pre-theatre, post-theatre, lounge, full restaurant, Sunday brunch buffet, gourmet shop, and bakery services. This variety of food options does not faze Helmin. “I love to experiment with new ideas. This makes the task of creating new dishes exciting,” he says.