His collaboration with the Hauser Collection Süllberg Hamburg was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Philipp Zumkeller made the most of the time and passed the examination to become a master chef at the hotel management school in Heidelberg. He founded his own company, FIDAN Chef & Gastro, and has been working as a freelance chef or, as he calls it, a “culinary freelancer” ever since. He is booked by VIPs and companies for events and cooking courses, he cooks for exclusive clients and works with well-known Michelin-starred and top chefs such as Tristan Brandt and Johann Lafer. He was a semi-finalist in the “Chef of the Year 2024” competition.