Millefiori da Villa Humboldt is over: the dream threatens to explode

“We haven’t eaten so well in a long time” is the first review on the website for “Millefiori da Villa Humboldt”. But at the top of the page it says: Temporarily closed.

Lüdenscheid – Investor Ben Kamili sums up the situation with the promising new restaurant on Humboldtstrasse: “Everything depends on the staff. I haven’t lost hope yet.”

After a rather difficult start, the restaurant with a culinary focus on fine Italian cuisine only started operating in December. Ben Kamili, a successful artist with his main job with a studio in Bergstadt and another center of his life in Berlin, wanted to make his dream come true. As an artist, he also wanted to give the rooms his own signature. Now the materials are finally in, but he has put materials and ideas aside for the time being. by necessity.

There were many plans to turn the old villa into a cultural meeting place of the future – with artists, musicians and writers. And with guest chefs. The right team to run the ambitious kitchen-and-guestroom concept seemed ready: With his 25-year-old restaurant manager, scion of a family of restaurateurs who were friends, a key position was filled by a young professional who was to run a restaurant independently for the first time. Who spoke in introducing the concept of self-fulfillment and high standards. He had acquired his first spurs through a family restaurant business in Eberswalde. Camille is involved there too. Then there was Lüdenscheid. The burden of juggling everything increased here and there. There were initial signs of fatigue.

Advertising is on

Now the young man has returned to Berlin. An advertisement is played in the restaurant for callers and there is a “Dear Guest” note on the door asking for your understanding and saying that unfortunately the restaurant will have to close in March due to work in progress. Ben Kamili hopes a solution can be found by the end of the month. Not least because the restaurant involves a significant investment and a long-term contract. “It’s really a shame. I put a lot of heart and soul into it.”

Regarding the future of Millefiori, the investor is currently at a loss. He has tried a lot in the past few days to recruit good staff. It was a sobering experience: “The staff is a big problem,” he says, adding almost defiantly: “But I want to stay optimistic.” He is not ready to give up his dream of a private restaurant. His good connections in Berlin would help him fill the kitchen. But that alone is not enough: “It doesn’t work with two people.”

Thus, the month of March will pass with intense efforts to give a future to the Millefiori. The order showed that the people from Lüdenscheid really appreciate what is on offer. But Camille is pragmatic enough to declare: “Anyone with coupons will get a refund, of course.” The action will be announced on the website in due time. If it is a temporary closure it must become a final seal.